Denial
by inseaofsound
Summary: When Cato and Peeta meet, it's tense and awkward - especially since Cato would like to wrap his hands around his neck and strangle him. But, when Cato starts to fall for Peeta, it's a new territory for him. Peeta feels the same struggle that the formerly brutal and murderous boy feels. Pushing the Games and a rebellion on them brings up one question - can their love survive?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, here it is. I just got really, unhealthily obsessed with Peeto as I was writing the Cato/Katniss fanfic, and I had to get these feels out. I'm planning on doing Cato/Peeta POVs, but if you guys get annoyed with flipflopping POVs like that, then tell me and I'll stick to one POV. Also, I didn't forget about my other fan fic! The new chapter should be up tomorrow, after school.  
- inseaofsound**

**Peeta**  
It's only been three days since we've left 12 with broken hearts. At least, I was broken. I felt like I was. Katniss had more reason to be so, as her family actually loved her. Mine? I'm not sure if they cared. Maybe they would realize that I was more than just another child. Just another position in the bakery opened when I reach my inevitable death. _What a weak thing to think._ Pessimistic, and not at all like the Peeta that waved to the crowds in the train station and charmed his way into Effie's heart. I feel like giving up on this act - it's too tiring to keep up anymore. But watching Katniss, I knew I had to be strong to survive. To be honest, I was jealous. Attention was all she got, while I was just the other tribute. Sure, we remain close after my attempt to befriend her. But watching her warily now, I feel that she could kill me without a second glance - as long as she went home in one piece.  
I shudder at the thought, and the brunette looks at me curiously, her eyebrows raised. I wave a hand dismissively and pace around the hall in our costumes - I felt ridiculous, but apparently, we made an impression. Not that Katniss cared. I did. Sponsors kept tributes alive. If she thought she could survive by herself in the Games, she would be wrong. She would need all the help she could get...starting with me.  
"Peeta, what are you thinking about?" Katniss finally says to clear the tension in the air. She gives me a feeble smile, which I try to return before I stand again, sighing. I frown and try to backtrack - what am I really concerned over? My thoughts like to race a mile a minute, and it's left my mind a jumbled mess. I open my mouth to speak to her, when familiar figures swagger in through the entrance. They're dark, like shadows, until the light hits them and Katniss scowls.  
Careers.  
They're laughing maliciously, making fun of the other tributes - already threatening their lives. I hear the names and the insults and my fists clench. Katniss looks close to stabbing someone too - and then, one of their voices carries down towards us.  
"Well, look here." The blond girl steps forward, out of the group and nods towards us. "We have the try-hards in our presence. Corny outfits you've got there."  
"Don't you dare put down Cinna's work." Katniss jumps to her feet, fists clenched by her sides. I remain stoic, only staring at the girl, her laugh halfway between a giggle and a snicker - what was her name? Glitter? Ah, Glimmer. Ridiculous, of course. What else could you expect from District 1?  
"Cinna, your stylist?" I recognize this one now - Marvel. I ran into him the first day we were here, and he had brushed past me with that seemingly permanent smirk of his. He seems to be fixated on Glimmer, and noting the hatred in Katniss's tone, immediately jumps to Glimmer's defense. "What a joke."  
"Like your boyfriend over there." A smaller - but still intimidating - brunette jabs a finger at me. "I bet he wouldn't be able to make it for five minutes in the arena." She smirks at me, but her look softens as she notices my guarded expression.  
"Clove, be realistic." A blond boy - but not a boy; he has the looks of a man - says gruffly. All eyes turn to look at him, clad in armor from his costume. I find my eyes grazing over him - almost appreciatively. And then I process his words and furrow my brow; was he defending me? Our eyes meet involuntarily, and I feel heat rise in my cheeks as I think there's a flicker of a smile on his face. But then a sneer comes across his face, and his next words are poisonous venom.

"He wouldn't last five seconds."  
"Because you're such a god and know _everything_ about everyone." I shoot back sarcastically, to the surprise of the Careers. They thought I was silent and ready to take whatever insults or threats they had for me. The new faces suddenly come with names - Cato and Clove, of District 2.

Shit.  
I would be lying if I said Cato was good-looking. He carried the arrogance and pride, and the way his arms were folded over his chest now made his biceps swell - perfect for snapping a neck in two. I feared for my safety a bit, especially when Katniss herself took a small step backwards. But he couldn't get his hands on me before the Games. I smile triumphantly, but the grin only fades as he pushes past Marvel and Clove and glares at me intensely. There is no emotion in his eyes but blood and power desire. It's horrifying, watching his eyes move over my body, as if surveying the damage he could inflict upon me. The other Careers shifted uncomfortably around him, restless and lost without him barking orders.  
"Did you just talk back to me, 12?" I've heard that he's cold, and his tone is pure ice. But his eyes flare with something different - much more intense than I had expected. I thought it was lust, until I realized that his face was contorted in anger. His eyes were burning a hole through me right now, and he lifted his chin victoriously as I hesitated in my response.  
"My name is Peeta." I finally say. Something crosses his face again and there's a momentary lapse in his speech. I'm curious now, but then his rage takes over.  
"Does it look like I care?"  
"You should. The more people that can tolerate you, the better."  
"Who says I want to be_ liked_ by scum like you?" Cato snapped, yanking his arm from Clove's hand. She jerks back, as if burned and looks dejected. Interesting. I'm about to dwell on this when I hear loud footfalls, and my chin is crushed and yanked around.  
"Don't touch him!" Katniss shouts. But she flinches as Cato lunges mockingly at her. A laugh bursts from his lips, and he tightens his grip on my jaw. I grab his wrist and try to pull him away, but he only gives me a look and I'm left hopelessly holding his forearm, trying to tug away from him.  
"I can do whatever I want." Cato snarls, smirking at me as he pulls my face in closer. "The little boy here doesn't have a clue about what he's doing anyways."  
"Get off of me." My words are muffled as he squeezes my chin harder, and then pushes my head back to release me. I stumble and catch myself, Katniss rushing to my side. I glare up at Cato, and the older boy looks momentarily shocked.  
Why?  
He becomes passive again and shoves his hands in his pockets, balancing a sneer upon his porcelain skin. I frown, thinking that a guy from District 2 should be covered in battle scars from training – no matter how good he is. There doesn't seem to be a scratch on him. He catches me looking and tilts his head. I try to drop my gaze, but when his eyes catch mine, I freeze. A slight glint in his eye, he gives me a cocky, lopsided grin.  
And I blush. Was it genuine? Was he just kidding before?  
Of course, I was getting ahead of myself.

Why should I even worry? What was so special about him?  
"You're a piece of shit, 12. I hope I'll have the pleasure of driving a spear through your heart." His cruel tone gives me chills, and I feel Katniss shudder next to me. I almost laugh at the irony of it all, if it weren't for the look Cato was giving me right now – like I was something to eat. He smirks again and raises his eyebrows, starting his vicious glare before he pushed his way through the group and headed out the exit.  
With that threat, the group turns away, laughing as if they were the popular crowd - for no reason just to flaunt.  
"What a dick." I grumble quietly, silently cursing Katniss for not defending me any further. She nods, but doesn't say anything else, her brow furrowed as she tries to think of something to say to comfort me. I huff quietly, rolling my eyes at her. Before she can do anything else that may frustrate my cranky mood, I turn on my heel and leave.

**Cato**  
Peeta and Katniss.

Such a load of bullshit.  
Everyone knows I'll be the one winning. I might intimidate people into think that, but they know it deep down. They'll be killed because of me. The other Careers may think that they have a chance, but that's only if they get rid of me. And hell, like that's going to happen. They don't have a chance against ruthless Cato - especially the two tributes from 12, marching around as if they've already won the goddamn thing. All they had was a good entrance. It didn't mean anything.  
Such idiots.  
"Cato," I hear a high-pitched whine on my side, and I grimace as Glimmer drapes herself over my arm. I earn a glare from Marvel, in which I shove Glinmer off, and into him.  
"I'd rather not feel your fake tits against my arm, thanks." I snarl, already in an extremely aggravated mood. "Put on a fucking shirt." The dumb bimbo decided jumping around in her bra because it was "too hot" was the best way to stay warm. Like said before - idiot whore. Her eyes glanced up at me, rounding as she realized that I was being serious. Forcing her to put a shirt on? How preposterous.  
"But, Cato -"  
"Maybe next time, Glimmer. When he's not contemplating stabbing you." Clove sniggered at her, twirling a piece of hair around her finger. "Who knows? Maybe I'll be the one to the second the countdown ends."  
"I'd like to see you try, bitch." Glimmer hisses.  
"Want a demonstration?"  
"Bring it!"  
"Clove - shut up." Marvel interrupts, trying to step in between the two girls. Clove bats him away and growls, making me smirk before I frowned as the hissing began to grown louder.  
"Things would be a lot different if you didn't want to get into her pants, Marvel." Clove spat, her death glare darting between the two of them. "I hope her black hole swallows the both of you."

"At least guys like me!"  
"Shut the fuck up!" I shout, scaring them into silence again. "I swear to god, I will kill all of you if you don't shut up."  
"Maybe I can make you feel better?" Glimmer smiles seductively as we climb into the elevator, and her hand works its way up my arm. Again, I brush her off, but give her an once-over for my own entertainment.  
"Sure. Know what will really make me feel great?" I smile slowly back at her, and her grin widens. "Shove a knife up your ass." The elevator doors open for me and Clove, who's laughing uproariously. I smirk at her and roll my eyes, though I'm grinning by the time the doors close on a gaping Glimmer and snickering Marvel. Even as much as he wants to screw her, you can't help but laugh when I'm taunting someone as dumb as Glimmer.

We step into the dining room, and Clove's still laughing her ass off. I scowl, sitting at the table and propping my feet up on the glass surface. The only person I can somewhat tolerate is starting to irk me, so I send her a death glare as a warning. But now that we're in private, she only laughs at my attempt.  
"Keep trying, blondie. You're losing your touch."  
"What do you mean?"  
"That Peeta kid wasn't scared." Clove smiles at his name. I look at her a bit furiously and curiously - did she like him? Sure, he has a nice body. Nice eyes too. And his smile during the entrance was cute.  
"Shut up." I say, to her and myself. She raises her hands in surrender.  
"Whatever you say, oh mighty one. Just don't come running to me when Peeta ruins your reputation here."  
"He can't."  
"Think about it, Cato. He barely flinched when you tried to stare him down. The boy needs some proper scaring from you and you're doing a poor job." Clove contemplated on this. "He may look weak and too kind, but maybe you can bring out the bad boy in him." She grins mischievously and I roll my eyes again.  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
"You may think you were shooting daggers at him, but I've known you since you were 12. That's the look you got when you wanted to sleep with Georgina Leover and you were trying to seduce her."  
"You must get the looks mixed up." I reply calmly. "In both cases, I'm the predator."  
"So basically, you looked at Peeta the same way you looked at Georgina? Please."  
"I'm not gay."  
"You told me that twice last year, but I caught you eyeballing half of the instructors that had balls." Clove smirked at me and crossed her arms, looking at me defiantly. "Anyways, you would have gotten with Glimmer just for the sex by now." She said this with a point - and I knew that much. Whenever girls threw themselves at me and my friends back home, they immediately took advantage of them, no matter how obnoxious. I just found many things that put me off, and pushed the girls away. If they decided to be annoying little fucks, they found a nice little surprise that resulted in a _little_ coma. Clove knew this all too well. But she had to be wrong. Just because I may have slept with a few guys at home - when I was drunk and tired, so it didn't count - didn't mean I was gay. It meant that people fell at my feet for the chance to satisfy me.  
What power.  
"Whatever, Clove." I grimace as she laughs again. "This is too much. I'm going for a walk. Insolent child."  
"Like you know what insolent means."  
"You're obnoxious." I storm out of the room, running my hand through my hair in a frustrated gesture, as her laughs grew in volume. I consider going back and threatening her again, bit I knew it would be a futile attempt. I couldn't yell at her without looking like a fool as she brought out my weak points. Smashing my fist into the elevator button, I decided to go look for someone to victimize with my anger. Wrong place, wrong time - their fault.  
The Games needed to start already. The Capitol was lazy this year, and decided on giving us more time to train. But we hadn't even gotten to see the training center - they just rushed us to our stylists and locked us in our rooms. I was in the right mind to stab someone with a fork beforehand. Maybe that Peeta kid.  
The doors slid open, and I stepped inside, suddenly unsure of where to go. Roaming around wasn't exactly encouraged, and it's not like there were many places to go anyways. Barely anyone knew other tributes well enought to visit their floor. Against my better instinct, my hand shot forward to 12.  
"Well." A low voice murmured. I gaped, but composed myself as the doors opened on Peeta, looking just as frustrated as I felt. "Wrong floor, Cato. It's _2_." He stepped inside, ruffling his hair a bit. I glance at him, now free of his costume and hints of makeup. He looks sweet. Polite. Not one to harm anyone at all. I felt jealous - this was the kid that everyone liked just by looking at him.  
I hated him.  
"I didn't want to stay on my floor." I finally say, trying to maintain a steely edge. But Peeta looks surprised - I guess I sounded too polite. Trying to remain calm as emotions surged around me, I turn towards him and lean against the cool wall of the elevator. "What's your name again? I didn't catch it before."  
_Lies_. It's been whispered in my head for the past half an hour.  
Peeta looks offended, but he clenches his jaw and offers a hand towards me.  
"Peeta." He sighs, relaxing before me. "Peeta Mellark."  
"Hm." I don't comment any further, now staring at his hand. Against my better judgement, I grasp it and stare at him, as if I've never shaken a hand before. Peeta slackens his grip on my hand, and his face pales.  
_I'm not going to kill you._  
I shake it firmly, the warmth from his hand making me tingle.  
All over.  
When I release, I'm disappointed. But he looks relieved. I feel a mixture of anger, satisfaction, and sadness wash over me.  
"Where are you going?" He motions towards the buttons with a slight smile. I blush with the realization that I didn't know, and the immobile elevator just made the situation more awkward.  
"I don't know." I mumble, my eyes cast downward. Peeta laughs quietly, which earns him a piercing look.  
"I was going to head to the roof to clear my head." He hesitates in his next words, but we both know it's an invitation. I consider shaking my head and going back down to my room. Maybe laugh in his face. A poor boy from 12 isn't worth my time. What does he think he can do? Charm me into protecting him? Befriend him? I'm left wondering why he isn't running now, after what happened just a few minutes ago. I should say no. I'm still in my ridiculous armor, and I'm definitely not the social type.  
"I'd like to come."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Oh my goodness. I feel so pressured right now. I hope I'm able to keep you guys content with the story. Please tell me any thoughts, concerns, or suggestions! Also, I'm not having any inspiration for the Kato fanfic I've got, so, if you're waiting for that – it might be a while. I have the next chapter in the works, but I'm not sure if I can continue it with no plot in mind.  
-inseaofsound  
**

**Peeta**  
Katniss would be ready to kill me by now, if Cato didn't get there first. Not only was she pissed at me for acting "cold" to her or whatever, but if she found out I was hanging out with our supposed nemesis, I would be dead before the Games even started. But maybe that wouldn't be so bad. Better than Cato, torturing me to death. At the thought, I look over at him again and sigh as he glares back at me. He returns it with a demented laugh that gives me goosebumps.  
Why am I even here?  
The elevator races towards the roof in a matter of seconds, with a tense silence between me and Cato. I can't help but flick my eyes his way multiple times, before he snaps at me.  
"What?" His cold eyes bore into mine, and I'm regretting even getting in the elevator. I should have just let him be, instead of making it my duty to befriend everyone here. Not that Cato would be a good friend - but as an ally? Surely I would go home, as long as I got past him in the end.  
"Oh. Nothing." I cough into my hand to cover my slight chuckle at the ridiculousness of it all. The situation was something I would kill - ha, kill - to get out of, but here I was, standing as calmly and proudly as I could.  
The elevator doors snap open, the cold air on the roof immediately sending chills down my back. It was either that, or the looks that Cato was giving me. I decide to play his game - see who the winner is now - and smirk at him.  
"What?"  
"Shut up, bastard." Cato spits, shoving me back. I stumble and watch as, despite his muscular build, he moves with the grace I could never achieve.  
"Bastard?" I shout after him, suddenly feeling furious. Not only at him, but at everyone and everything. I knew the Games would change me, but I didn't know that it would add on the pointless anger that Cato seemed to throw at everyone else. The rage was starting to pour out of me, now that Cato pushed me over the edge. He turns, shocked at my sudden change.  
"What is it, 12? Got your panties in a twist?" He turns leisurely and laughs again, the cold and sick sound filling the air. "Sorry that you lost your balls when you had to sell them in 12. I bet they didn't even sell for much. Just enough to buy you bread for a day."  
"What kind of insult is that?" It's my turn to laugh at him. "Stop acting all high and mighty, when you're not. Someone could bring you down easily. All you are is talk and intimidation when really -" My words are cut off as I see a blur, and Cato's hand is around my throat. With a strong force, he shoves me against the elevator, making sure my head got most of the hit. Against myself, I cry out - though it's strangled - and claw in panic at his hands. He sneers and squeezes my throat again. My lungs start to burn, and my eyesight blurs and clears - a never-ending pattern, as spots appear in my vision too.  
"What were you saying?" He laughs in my face as I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. "Sorry, what? I can't hear you!"  
"I can't breathe!" The ability to choke those words out startles Cato, and the blond boy pales as his grip around my throat loosens - but he doesn't let go.  
"No shit."  
"Let go of me."  
"Why should I do that?"  
"Let. Go."  
"Hit me, 12. Too scared to? Guess you won't -" In my frantic search to find something to hit him with, my fingers grazed the elevator button, and with a ding, the two of us fell through the doors as they open. Of course, Cato lands on me with a bone-crushing weight, and all the air is knocked out of me. He looks into my eyes as he's on top of me, but I'm uncomfortable with this, even though his hand isn't gripping my throat anymore. He's about to say something, but I don't want to hear his ridiculousness anymore. All I want to do is sit in the dark and breathe in fresh air, instead of the cool Capitol air-conditioning and the smell of their fresh food every morning. Every day.  
"Get off." I shove him off of me and get up, brushing myself off. When I look over, he's staring up at me with the most amused expression I've ever seen. It made him look childlike, especially with all of his limbs sprawled on the floor. I almost smile, but catch myself and scowl, walking back outside again.  
"Wait, where are you going?" Was that desperation in his voice? I chuckle at the incredulous thought.  
"I came up here for a reason. And it wasn't to be choked by you." I snarl as he grabs my shoulder. "Would you just -" I bat his hand off and rear away, feeling disgusted with his personality switches. This moodiness didn't make me want to stay and watch the show. It just angered me.  
"What's the reason?"  
"Peace. Now, I didn't want you here, and I don't right now. So, if you could leave, that'd be great."  
"And if I don't want to leave?" It's a threat. But an odd one.  
"Too bad. Leave." I counter, watching his eyes glitter with amusement. What am I, some kind of joke to him? I despised the stupid smirk on his face already. The guy needed to be taught a lesson, or else I would punch him in the face until my own hand broke.  
"I'm sorry, I don't want to."

"That's just great." I groan, running my hand through my hair, frustrated beyond belief. Here I was, thinking that maybe I could have some peace for once. But then there was Cato, who was making sure that peace would never come easily to me. When I tug at my hair, a sudden flash of skin passes in front of my nose and I feel a yank on my wrist.

"Ow!" I protest, pulling my wrist out of Cato's grasp. "God fucking damn it. What the fuck is your problem?" I shout, rubbing the throbbing in my wrist. He only stares at me, a vein pulsing in his neck. His mouth opens again, like a fish, and then shuts tight, his lips almost disappearing as he purses them together.

"Nothing." He finally snaps, his blue eyes narrowing. I hope that I send him daggers back as I storm away from the annoying little bastard. It probably looks like I'm throwing a tantrum, but I just needed to get away from him.

Of course, he follows me into the elevator.

"Stop following me around!" Cato laughs at my burst of anger at him, catching my fists easily as I move to push him back. I realize with a start that he's a full head taller than me, sending a pulse of fear down my back. Involuntarily, I shiver.

He notices.

"Are you cold?"

Was that concern?

"I'm fine." My eyes widen as his hands push my clenched fists open and he wordlessly takes my hands in his.

"Are you sure?"

"What's with the interrogation? I'm fine." My retort goes unnoticed. I'm not surprised – Cato thinks the world revolves around him. His next action just pushes me more towards the confusion I was feeling beforehand. He shrugs off his jacket and hands it to me. "I said I'm –" He smiles gently and drapes it around my shoulders.

"We're not even inside." I hiss, hating the fact that he was treating me like...like a _girl._ He blinks, and I see the familiar coldness slide over his face.

"Whatever." He pushes the button to his level multiple times, as if that would rush the elevator down to him. In response, I nudge the button that screamed freedom, and felt my stomach drop as the elevator dropped down to 12. The doors slid open to reveal a dark, empty living room. I feel relieved that Katniss or Haymitch weren't waiting for me. Cato seems to release a deep breath, glaring at me as I step out.

"Loverboy."

"Loverboy?"

"My jacket."

"Oh." I'm about to hand it back to him, when he shakes his head and crosses his arms to make his bulging muscles stand out. My gaze drifts to them, but back up as he speaks again. _Please leave already._

"Keep it."

"Why...?"

"You look like you're...weak. Don't want to catch a cold, now do you?" The doors close on his smirking face before I could throw the jacket back at him.

Fucking bastard.

He deserves to die.

**Cato**

When his gaze sweeps over my body, I'm tempted to grab him into my arms and drag him to my room, kicking and screaming. And I almost do that, until his eyes reach mine again, and they're filled with disgust.

He can burn the jacket.

It's the closest he can get to killing me.

As much as I want to hate him, I find myself wanting to know him. I can see the old, healing bruises on his cheek and his arms, and I want to know his story. I want to know what 12 is like. I want to know what he did, who he is...if he has any girlfriends...boyfriends? The thought hits me like a brick, but so does the realization that I'm thinking profusely about a boy that couldn't hurt a fly, but would take a liking to the idea of smashing my face in with a hammer.

So, I'm back to despising him.

When I enter my room, feeling exhaustion roll in, I turn on the light and groan at the sight of Clove, perched delicately on the couch across the room.

"What do you want?"

"How did it go?"

"What?"

"Don't act as if I'm stupid." Clove scoffs, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "There was nowhere else to go alone, so obviously, you had to meet up with someone and do something to be gone for that long." I grunt at her and she smiles knowingly. I want to kick her out of the window. She always knows too much.

"Stop thinking for once and maybe guys will like you." My sneer drops as anger contorts Clove's face.

"You know, I'm the only friend you have." She stands and waits for a second. When I stare back at her, she screams in aggravation. "Know what, Cato? I'm done putting up with you. All the time! You're so emotionally detached and _cruel. _At least people can get the chance to like me before you tear their guts out! At least more people like me. _No one likes you._" Her biting words slap me in the face. She rushes out of the room, slamming the door as hard as she can.

Well.

I'm offended.

But I'm _emotionally detached_, so I guess I shouldn't care.

The next morning, I wake up with a pounding headache and the urge to punch someone in the face. Then again, I always wake up with that urge. Among others, but that had to be the last thing on my mind. Peeta had to be the last person on my mind, but he was the first person I saw when I woke up, and stayed in my mind through my shower and all the way to breakfast, where I saw Clove eating with Brutus and Enobaria. When she sees me, her eyes darken and she stops talking. Our mentors look over at me and exchange a look, before going back to their silent breakfast. I sit down with a loud thump and smirk as Clove winces when I scoot closer to her. The breakfast is quiet enough to hear the Avoxes shuffling around in the background, even though they're supposed to be as quiet as can be. I scarf down my food and get up to leave, but freeze as Brutus motions for me to sit down. Slouching in my seat, my eyes catch the piercing eyes of a brunette Avox, standing with her hands clasped in front of her. She looks startled when I stare back at her, and she quickly drops her gaze.

"Ana! Let's go." One of the Capitol staff snaps as he walks in briskly, yanking the girl away by her arm. "I'm sorry for her being such a nuisance."

"No..." The severe looks from Brutus and Enobaria silence my protest. I flail to save myself when the Capitol worker looks over at me with a raised eyebrow. "Could you send her to my room? My room's filthy. And...I expect her to stay there, so I can see to it that she doesn't make any mistakes."

"And if she does?"

"You can see to her punishment." My voice shakes as I see a look of betrayal on Ana's face, before she's sent to my room to clean whatever imaginary mess I have in my bedroom.

I don't even know what I just did.

Or why.

But the situation has passed, and Brutus clears his throat, as if to cease the talking around the table and let all attention turn to him. I share a look with Clove, mentally laughing at him, but Clove glares back at me instead and drops her eyes back to her plate.

"Training starts today."

_Yes. Finally._

"For the first day, you'll be able to go off by yourself. But for the rest of the week, you and Clove have to train together – no questions asked – but also with another district."

"What? Why?" Our cries of protest suddenly fill the quiet room.

"I don't know. It's what the Capitol ordered on the Gamemakers, so it must be done. Yes, get used to it. You could be getting District 1, so don't worry about it."

"I would rather stick my head in a fire instead of training with District 1." I snarl. Marvel isn't so bad, but Glimmer constantly got under my skin. If she got near me during training, she would find a spear in her chest. Clove smirks next to me, leaning back in her chair. Against my better judgment, my foot kicks out and the next thing we see is Clove on the floor.

"Cato!" She shouts, getting up and tackling me. I land with a gasp, as the wind's knocked out of me. I never knew she could be so strong, and I'm filled with the anxiety that she just might kill me during the Games.

"Children!" Enobaria yells, pushing back from the table.

"We're not children!" Clove is yanked off of me as her nails rake across my neck.

"Fuck!" Brutus pulls me up as I clutch the throbbing pain, feeling the warmth of my blood seep out of the cut.

"You're acting like it!"

"He started it." Clove deadpans, sneering.

"Clove, go to your room and get ready for training. Cato, go to your room and get ready. Tell the Avox to fix the cuts." With that, we're dismissed without further word, besides an undetected threat in Brutus's voice.

When I open my door, I find those sharp eyes staring at me again.

"Oh, you're Ana, right?" She nods back at me and motions towards my hand, cupping the wound. "Yeah, could you get me something to cover it or whatever?" I uncover it and her eyes round, her mouth forming words. I squint, and shake my head.

_Was it the girl?_

"Yes."

_Bathroom._

I follow her, and lean against the wall as she dabs the blood away.

_You are not being nice to 12._

"What?"

_You are not being nice to 12._

I stare incredulously at her, wondering how she even knew. Yeah, I was mean to everyone...but had she been watching me?

"Do you mean Peeta?"

_He complains to his Avox every night._

She finishes wiping the blood away and shakes her head as I ask for a bandage.

_It's better for it to heal._

"Where are my clothes, Ana?" She motions towards my drawers with a pale hand and turns away as I start to change. I realize that I'm treating her too nicely, but her previous comment about "12" stunned me. Peeta complained to his Avox? He talked to his Avox?

Who was his Avox?

"Okay, I'm done."

She turns back around and nods, standing in the corner. She's waiting for another command. I bite my lip, suddenly disliking this feeling of being in control.

"What does Peeta say about me?" I ask. She frowns for a moment and shakes her head. "You have to tell me."

_I can't._

"Please."

_You wouldn't like it._

"I wouldn't care. Just tell me." She hesitates, but her mouth starts to form small words.

_He said he wants to kill you._

"Oh."

_Slowly._


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey, kiddies. Lovely reviews; thank you so much! But, I would love to hear more from you guys, so R&R! Keep me motivated! :)**

**Cato**

My attention shifts to the tributes coming in through the steel doors. I'm sure I look intimidating. Those that meet my narrowed glare and sneer turn away immediately, searching for comfort in their tribute partners. What they don't know is that I'm not looking for them. I'm looking for Peeta. I'm straining to at least get a glimpse at him, and then I would be satisfied for the rest of the day. Right? I was blindly assuring myself of the strange emotions that were developing in the back of my head. I would talk to Clove about this, but she was currently alternating between murdering me and Glimmer with her eyes. Glimmer senses the tension between me and Clove with a sudden perky look, cocking her head as she spots the cuts on my neck.

"Cato," She purrs, moving towards me seductively. "What's that on your neck?" Her hand shoots forward to touch it, and my reflex smacks her hand away.

"Get away from me."

"Don't be like that!" Glimmer whines, but her attention is diverted as a burst of laughter breaks through the awkward silence. Everyone turns to see a grinning Peeta, walking alongside a smiling Katniss.

They walk too close.

They're staring right at us.

Peeta points something out to Katniss, flicking a finger towards Glimmer. Katniss giggles in response, and I'm startled as their fingers lace together momentarily. A wave of jealousy and rage starts in me, and I'm about to take a step forward when a small hand yanks me back. Clove is standing behind me, glaring angrily at me, and over at Peeta and Katniss too.

"Why are they so...happy?" Glimmer snarls, her usually plastic beauty taking on a feral look.

"Who knows? Maybe they're together now." With those words, Clove saunters away and ends up in front of the tributes from 12. Katniss looks at her warily, while Peeta hesitates, but the blond boy greets her warmly. In a matter of seconds, I'm at Clove's side.

"What's going on?" I question aggressively. Clove and Katniss wince at my tone, but Peeta stares defiantly into my eyes.

"What are you doing here?" His monotone brings me back to life. Despite the obvious warmth he brought to a room, he was frosty, but the heat from his anger seems to melt his tone.  
And then I remember what Ana told me.

"Just wanted to see what you lovebirds were laughing about." I spit out, watching as Katniss's face takes on a pink color. Peeta doesn't even blush, like I was hoping for him too. He only gives me a blank stare until I fidget uncomfortably. When my eyes casually meander around the room instead, I can feel the feeling of pride and victory coming off of Peeta. My nose wrinkles – is this what it feels like around me? Maybe. I see a different side of him when he replies coolly to me, but politely and occasionally playfully towards Clove. And Katniss? I grit my teeth as the two walk away together, hearing his affectionate voice echo across the room.

"You must teach me how to shoot, Katniss." His low voice has so much admiration and care in it, I grimace. He thinks I can't hear him, but I do. I growl under my breath when Peeta leans towards Katniss and closes the reasonable gap between them. Clove sniggers next to me, crossing her arms to mimic my stance.

"So, he's straight." She comments lightly.

"I don't care."

"I don't think he is, Cato." Clove says warily, lifting her eyebrow to glance at me.

"I'm not gay. And I don't have gaydar or whatever." My last choice is to stomp away, and I do exactly that.

The instructor lands on the mat with a loud crash, every head snapping towards me as I loomed over him, a smirk playing on my lips. He looks up at me with a glare, but doesn't say anything as he gets up from his sprawled position on the ground and rubs his neck, wincing.

"Up for another?" I laugh when he shakes his head and walks away, leaving me on the mat. The other tributes glance away nervously, probably glad that it's against the rules to train against other tributes. My sneer only grows when I observe the room, seeing that everyone was avoiding each other. But my face crumbles a bit as Katniss and Peeta near each other again. The two of them haven't separated since they got here, and their deep conversations make me furious. On top of that, Clove seemed to have made it her goal to befriend the tributes from 12 just to piss me off some more. As I glared at them, Clove skipped over to Katniss and hauled her to lunch, leaving Peeta behind as he waved them on. In a few minutes, Peeta and I are the only ones left. But he doesn't seem to notice me, as he disappears into the camouflage station. What a wimp. I swing a few times at a punching bag, before curiosity takes over, and I walk over to the station quietly. Peeking inside, I don't see the familiar blond hair or the blue eyes looking back at me.

"Mellark?" I cough, trying to sound as gruff as possible. No answer. I walk in, looking around the trees.

I didn't hear him.

My head hits the bark of the tree, and I'm whirled around to face a fuming Peeta. I accidentally make an inhumane whimper, but control myself against the pain. I'm about to hit him and show him his dumb mistake in trying to mess with me, when a grin spreads across his face. My fist freezes in the air, and drops to my side. Peeta nods, approving of my decision - as if he could take me down if I crossed him.  
"What do you want?" I hiss, watching as he moves backwards when I lean forward.  
"A lot of things." He says simply, in a haunting tone that could kill a thousand men. "There's one thing I want most."  
"Get off of me." He can't hold me for long, before I shove him back, sending him to the ground. Peeta inhales sharply as we hear his tailbone contact the ground with a smack. I almost apolgize, if it weren't for the way he looked at me. Disgusted. Furious. But, he has a knowing look on his face – as if he knows all of my secrets.  
"Clove told me something interesting." Peeta smirks. It's an all too familiar expression. It seems that I've taught him that, and I'm pissed that he's taking the look away from me. But when I process his words, my mouth falls open against my will, and I struggle to keep a passive and intimidating expression.  
"What?"  
"It's about you." Peeta stands, wincing as he does. But I feel no pity - anger. Rage. Was Clove trying to make it onto my kill list? I wanted to snap her neck in half this very second.  
"Oh, really? What did she tell you?"  
"Little things. She's mad at you." But Peeta doesn't stop there. "You like guys."  
My blood turns to ice.  
"No, I don't."  
"So, I should believe you, the guy who likes to beat me up, over Clove, who's actually really nice to me? I should believe you, because you're one of the most believable guys here." He laughs sarcastically, the bitter sound rising around us. "I wonder how Panem would react."  
"They'd love it." I reassure myself, but I knew that the fad of being gay died out a long time ago. It wasn't outlawed now, but it was deemed to make you a social pariah in the Capitol and the laughingstock in some districts. Luckily, 2 didn't care - especially since I was one of the best fighters.  
"Sure about that? Not sure if they take too kindly to brutal murderers that like to sleep around too. The heartbreaker, right? How many horror stories do you have? How many have you sent away crying? The Capitol is into the romantic, not the heart-stomper. It'll be quite the entertainment during the interviews." The threat is there, evident in his raised eyebrows and glinting eyes.  
"You wouldn't tell."  
"I've heard I'm a pretty nice guy." His voice drops to a whisper when he continues talking. "But you've went too far, Cato. I'm tired of it. And I know you're after me and Katniss."  
"Are you proposing a deal?" At this point, I'm desperate to forget this moment.  
"Maybe."  
"Spit it out."  
"Me and Katniss are Careers."  
"Hell no." I laugh as a blush fills his face.  
"Clove told me that you like one of the guy tributes."  
"...It's n-not true." I disguise my stammer as an elongated, lazy drawl. But Peeta's too smart to play this game with me.  
"Me and Katniss are Careers, or else I'm telling everyone."  
"No." I can hear the other tributes start to trickle in. Peeta's grinning by now, thinking that he's won the game.  
"You really want to risk it? That you're gay -"  
"You." I burst out as a young girl passes us. She looks at us curiously, but scurries at the sight of me.  
"What?"  
"Only you as a Career. Katniss irritates me."  
"Yet you like to choke me to death." My eyes flicker down to his neck, where it's a faint purple and blue, covered by makeup.  
"I didn't kill you."  
"And if we were in the Games?" I stay silent, letting him figure the answer out himself. He nods, but then his fingers are gently tracing the cuts on my neck. It burns, making me grimace in pain. He stops, and I suddenly lean into his palm, his hand caressing my neck.  
"She got you pretty badly." Peeta whispers, his blue eyes meeting mine in a sympathetic gesture.  
"Yeah." I keep a straight expression, but inside, I'm screaming. I'm screaming to run away. I'm screaming for him to love me.  
Love?  
The great Cato doesn't do love.  
But yet, my senses are reacting differently and sending me odd messages.  
His hand jerks away from me. I look at him, startled and stunned.  
"So," He says softly. "I'm a Career."  
"I'm not guaranteeing I won't kill you." Or Katniss, I want to add. But that will only push him away from being a Career. Maybe now he believes that he can protect her.  
"But you won't." With that, he turns and walks to Katniss and Clove, in which Katniss practically glues herself to him.

I took my anger out on everything and everyone I passed. All I wanted to do was wipe that smug look off of Peeta's face as he walked around with Katniss by his side. Well, it wasn't...smug, essentially. But he was at peace and a hell more calmer than me. He shouldn't be, especially when he's frustrated me beyond belief. And Brutus got the days wrong - Clove had to train with me today, or risk some sort of punishment. I was going to be stuck with her for the rest of the week, and with whatever other District they stuck us with. Clove wasn't as mad at me after talking to the Peeta, who just brightens up _anyone's_ day, but she was much more passive and curt than before.  
"Fuck!" A jolt of pain runs up my shin. Clove laughs as she drops a weight on my foot, watching me as I hop around helplessly.  
Of course, Peeta has to show up then.  
"What happened?" He chuckles, resting a hand on my shoulder. I jerk him off, but grab him again when I loose my balance.  
"Clove dropped a fucking weight on my foot." I glare at her with daggers. She shrugs in turn, turning to talk to Katniss, who still seems hesitant to start a friendship with her.  
"We should get that checked out." Peeta practically drags me to the bench and sits me down, leaning down in front of me.  
"I'm fine." I grunt, wiggling my foot in his face. "See?"  
"So?" Peeta motions at one of the Avoxes, and one of the better-looking males comes forward, bowing his head at him. "Jules, can you help me? I'm not exactly sure with this medical stuff."  
I gaze at Jules in jealousy. Was this his Avox? It seemed so. They were too close if they had just met. Jules sat down next to Peeta, carefully taking off my shoe and sock, before looking at the swollen part of my foot. He tapped it gently and looked up at me with warm brown eyes.  
_Does this hurt?_  
"No."  
_He's fine, Peeta. Just some ice will help. I will see you after training._  
"Thank you, Jules. Tell Ana I said hi." He smiles good-naturedly at him until he leaves. Even then, Peeta doesn't stop smiling.

"Wipe that stupid smile off of your face. What are you, in love or something?" I laugh, the bitter sound making Peeta roll his eyes.

"No. He's just a nice kid." Peeta stands up and looks down at me with contempt in his eyes. "It wouldn't kill you to be nice sometimes."

"Do you think you'll win the Games by being nice?" I watch as my words are processed in his head and smirk lightly, leaning closer to him as other tributes pass by. "Think about it. Nobody won by not killing anyone. The past victors were brutal. Like me."  
"But you wouldn't kill me, would you? Or Clove?" Peeta says sharply, startling me for a second. I open my mouth to tell him - and myself - that the answer, of course, will be no. I would kill anyone to win. But the thought of watching Clove or Peeta die because of me was something I didn't want to think about. When I raise my eyes to meet his, he's giving me a small smile, as if he knows what I'm thinking.  
"Clove...I'll leave that to someone else."  
"And me?"  
"I would kill you in a heartbeat."  
"Are you sure about that?"  
"Yes!" I stand, and we're chest to chest now, me fuming over him as he calmly observes the situation. "Stop questioning me! I'm Cato! You can't undermine -"  
"Cato." Peeta whispers harshly, motioning around the room. He yanks me out as I see everyone turned towards us and whispering. When we're out of sight, Peeta sighs and turns towards me.  
"Training's almost over. You need some rest." He murmurs, looking at me. "Go to bed early."  
"You're not my mom."  
"Go to bed."  
"You're not-" My words are interrupted as he pulls me into the elevator and jumps in, pressing two immediately. I grumble under my breath as a form of protest, but I'm relieved to have some rest. And...Peeta at my side.  
He was turning me soft.  
When the doors opened, Peeta shoved me out and smiled, waving.  
"You're not coming?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. I push my shoulder in between the closing doors and cock my head at him. "I want to get to know a fellow Career...and I promise I won't touch you."  
There's a long pause between us, and I'm afraid I've scared him off, or he's contemplating ways to secretly kill me. I'm regretting asking, after our last meeting went down in shambles.

He hesitates, with his hand on his button to safety.  
"I guess."

**Peeta**  
Wandering into the territory of Cato must be a death wish. I'm surprised he suddenly shifted into this polite guy. Staring into his eyes, I realized that he had no intention of hurting me or tricking me into doing something that would potentially hurt my chances at winning. The vague softness in his eyes was also laced with panic - probably because I was pretty threatening around him too. Ah, the first to challenge the mighty. Way to stick out, Mellark. To be honest, I hadn't seen that side of me before. And I was a little bit scared of it. But I seemed to give Cato the impression of a strong competition, so I stuck with it. Befriending him would help me in the long run - if I could even talk to him without ending up in an argument or a fight.  
"Okay." Cato looks surprised, but motions towards a door on his right with a mocking flourish. "That's my sanctuary. Go in."

Against my better judgment, I did.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: I'm so glad to see some reviews and favorites – but I would love to see some more of your thoughts! Thank you so much to LabRat3000 for PMing me, when the site wouldn't let you review the story. :) Also, I'm leaving next week for about 3 weeks, so no new chapters will be posted in that time period. It's kind of why this chapter's rushed and short, because I wanted to get it out beforehand. :(**

* * *

**Peeta**

I'm surprised to see the cleanliness of Cato's room. Compared to mine, it looked like he had maids working every second of the day. Then again, he's from District 2, so I should expect that. I glance at him shuffling around awkwardly as he gets ready for bed. When he's calm and quiet, I see him as someone that could be a friend of mine - not the brutal beast I want to see dead. It's odd, being around him. Half the time I want to strangle him, while the other half I want to get to know him. Looking at him now, I'm stuck between the two. I'm still wary of my surroundings as I cross to the other side of the room and sit on the couch, awkwardly crossing my legs under me, while Cato stares at me with his shirt in his hand.

"O-Oh." I stand abruptly. "I should go." I start towards the door in silence, until I feel his hand grab my wrist and pull me back gently.

"Wait." His eyes pierce into mine again, but this time, they're filled with warmth. I'm momentarily stunned, snapping out of my daze as he speaks again. "Stay. I...I want to get to know you. As a Career."

"Did you get to know Glimmer and Marvel?" I ask curiously, wrinkling my nose as Cato stiffens, tensing as he ponders the response to my question. I make another move to leave, but then he slams his foot onto the door and jams it in place.

"No, I didn't. I don't want to." Cato grimaces at the thought of getting close to the District 1 tributes. I would laugh, but I'm feeling threatened by his sudden burst of violence. "And did I say you could leave?"

"Excuse me?" I'm shocked that he thinks he can boss me around like that. The amount of superiority and authority in his voice made blood roar in my ears. But as we glared at each other, our stoic expressions increasing the tension between us, I felt something shift in me. My anger wasn't as strong as before. There was more of a pity and curiosity. What had pushed him to become such an aggressive, conceited person? Was it just him, or what his past had done to him? My questions are unanswered now, but maybe Clove could tell me. Or Cato himself could. After a long moment of silence, he lets go of my wrist and relaxes.  
"Sorry, Loverboy." He says stonily, turning sheepish as I nod curtly at him. "I just don't feel like being alone right now..."  
"Nightmares?" I interject immediately, glad to see an emotional side of him that I could relate to. His face hardens, but softens as he walks to the bed and sinks into it.  
"You can't tell anyone, Mellark."  
"Well...I won't." I wrinkle my eyebrows as I walk to him cautiously. "But what's so bad about it if someone finds out?" When he doesn't protest to me closing the distance between us, I sit down next to him and smile gently.  
"I'll look weak." He mutters. "Like you." The additional comment is soft and under his breath, but I still hear it. But instead of getting mad at him again, I ignore it, determined to befriend the vicious tribute.  
"Everyone has nightmares. Even you can't control that." I reply simply, gritting my teeth as a lopsided smile appears on his face.  
"Are you saying I'm all-powerful? Even me?" Cato laughs as I roll my eyes.  
"Shut up, Cato."  
"Make me, Peeta."  
"Peeta?" I raise my eyebrows when Cato realizes his first mistake. Was he getting too comfortable around me now? Seeing me as an equal? I could only hope. He looked at me coolly and shrugged.  
"That's your name, isn't it?" He stands abruptly and goes back to his drawers, grumbling under his breath.  
"What did you say?"  
"I need a drink." He says back, the emotional detachment Clove warned me about becoming evident.  
"Just go to the kitchen and get some water."  
"Not that kind of drink." Cato smirks as I look at him blankly. "Thought you would have known with that mentor of yours."

"You drink?" I stand as he pulls a bottle from his drawer, glaring at him. I felt disgusted – watching Haymitch fumble around was horrid enough. Now that Katniss and I were sobering him up, I had to deal with Cato too. "Cato, put that away."

"You're not my mom." Cato snorts, already drinking deeply. "Here, take some." He thrusts the bottle in my direction, the bitter smell filling my nostrils. I waved his attempts away, but he still persisted. He definitely wasn't drunk – he seemed to know how to hold his drinks – but he was already becoming gigglier and more boisterous by the minute.

"No, really." I sigh, turning away from the older boy.

"Loosen up, Mellark." Cato says loudly. I open my mouth to refuse again, when I hear voices and footsteps outside of the door. Our eyes meet, widened and panicked. Not that visiting other tributes was outlawed, but me in Cato's room? Fuck. That would bring up way too many questions.  
In a split second, Cato tucks me under his arm and pulls me into his bed, the covers just going over my head as the doors open. I'm pushing away from him, uncomfortable with our closeness, but then the door opens and I stop fidgeting. He's squeezing me against his chest, and I try to disappear, melting into his side.  
So, it was a little weird.  
Oddly enough, his arm around me made me feel protected. Needed. It was a different feeling – different from the emotions I felt around Katniss, which was more of a protection or irritation when she took it upon herself to protect _me_ instead. But with Cato, it almost felt right. He was older, bigger, stronger, and more violent. With another squeeze to my shoulders, my heartbeat jumped. Thinking that it was just my nerves of being caught, I relaxed and buried my face into his chest in an effort to become a normal-looking lump in the blanket.  
"Cato?" Clove. I almost hop out of the covers, thinking it was just her, when Cato pinches me.  
"Ow." I mumble into his shirt. I can almost see his crooked smile at this point, but I know he isn't dumb enough to randomly crack a grin. Cato wasn't like that – so he would definitely give something away.  
"You left training early." A deep voice rumbles. I guessed that it was one of his mentors.  
"I did." Cato's voice is low and thick as he tries to find an excuse.  
"Are you okay?" Even though Clove was pissed at him beforehand, I could still hear the concern she felt for him.  
"I'm fine. Just tired of those tributes." He sighs, his chest raising and sinking as he does so.  
"You can't let them bother you." This time, a deeper female voice accompanied them. "You need to focus, Cato. You wanted to bring honor to 2, and being distracted by petty tributes will only slow you down." She paused briefly and I inhaled sharply, thinking that she was suspecting something. "We'll see you in the morning." She says curtly. I feel Cato nod back, and hear the faint footsteps as they leave.  
"Wait." Cato hisses when I move. I pause, waiting with him. When everything seems to be in the clear, I leap out, flushed and red as Cato calmly drinks from his bottle.

"That was close."

"Yeah." He moves closer to me and smiles, a glazed look in his eyes. But still – he looked to be more sober than Haymitch, so that was a good sign. "Take some, Peeta. You look stressed out."

"I was just –"

"Take some." Cato pushed the bottle into my hands and tilted it upwards. I pursed my lips and - against my better judgment - drank.

**Cato**

I didn't know Peeta never drank before. If I did, I wouldn't have let him drink so much – because now he was a giggling, clingy mess and hell was I going to let him go back to his room. He couldn't even stay quiet for two seconds without bursting into another peal of laughter. If I let him go back, his mentor would have my ass on a plate and Katniss would be after me, no matter if she wanted to stay alive or not.

A tipsy and moody me, hanging out with a drunk Peeta.

I would have never known.

It had been amusing, watching him drink just a bit of the bottle and already start his hysterics. And for a while, I thought it was adorable – the way he patted my arm and giggled profusely at the littlest comments I made. It was basically silence between us, when Peeta wasn't laughing at a memory in his head or something I said. Watching him only made a small grin appear on my face, until he started to really cling to me. He was like a Capitol tracker – he just wouldn't get off of you. I'm not sure if this stemmed from deep within his personality or past, but it was starting to frustrate me.

"Cato," He started, fumbling over his words as he grabbed at my shirt. I picked his hands off of me gently and sighed as he clambered into my lap instead. "I want to go to my room." He slurred into my ear, nuzzling my neck softly.

"Peeta, get off of me." I muttered, turning my head away from him.

"But you're so comfortable." He whined, his grip around my neck tightening. The alcohol on his breath filled the air around me, making me light-headed. The younger boy giggled once more as I relaxed into the pillows, but frowned when I pushed him off of me. He slid onto the bed with shining eyes – was he crying?

Oh, no. Not _that _kind of drunk too.

"B-But Cato!" Peeta wasn't openly bawling, but he looked close to tears. "I'm so _cold._"

"Then get under the blankets."

"I am." I grumbled a bit and pulled the blanket around his shoulders, rolling my eyes as he pressed his face into my chest again and laid down to sleep on top of me.

"I can't sleep like that." I muttered, pushing him off. But he didn't move.

"Shhh." He took my hand and played with it absentmindedly, watching our fingers intertwine, then separate over and over. "What was it like in District 2?" He asked with wide eyes, looking like a child asking about the color of the sky. "Were they mean?"

"No." I snap, watching him flinch.

"You don't have to be so mean all the time." Peeta sighs, accustomed to my regular outbursts by now. I'm surprised that even drunk, he's still so comfortable and touchy around me – I would have thought that a small part of him would be screaming to get out by this point. "I would like you if you were nice."

"You would like me?" I ask, confused. "As a friend?"

"No, silly!" Peeta flashed a wide grin at me, tilting his head so that he rested on his chin. "We would fuck day and night!"

"Peeta!" I jerk up and he snaps up, stunned. "What are you even _talking_ about?"

"I like 'make love' better." The blonde boy mused to himself, suddenly ignoring his surroundings and a blushing – blushing? – angry me.

"Look, Loverboy," I note another flinch from him, but disregard it. "Do you even hear what you're saying? You just made things entirely awkward between us, and I don't want you in my room anymore."

"But Cato," He starts again, his lips pulling into a sharp frown. "You invited me in."

"That means I can kick your drunk ass out."

"But you wouldn't do that." Even through his slurred words, I can hear the veiled threat and the knowing tone. And looking at him now, smiling with an adorable, lost expression, I know he's right.

Fuck.

How am I supposed to kill him now?


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Guys, you'll be seeing a lot more of a drunk Peeta. Not too much (since I'm struggling to keep him in character) but I love writing him like that. It's just angssjshsdhuss. Anyways, thanks for the kind reviews! I was too lazy to do this before, so I'll the shoutouts/replies and such now. I'm so sorry if I don't reply to you, and I really should have done these in my other chapters.  
Gnatty-Bug: I'm back now, haha! I know, I was biting my nails, waiting to come back.  
Cray-Cray Person: Oh god, so do I.  
PurpleBoo: It's definitely an element you don't see in him often, so I wanted to bring a humorous side out. :)  
peetame: UGH SO MANY CUTE FEELS AND EMOTIONS.  
Shinigami: Oh yeah, hungover Peeta. Whether he remembers or not has definitely been tearing me apart. :)  
TylerStories: Five words: love you and thank you. :) and in response to one of your previous reviews, right? I'm not the biggest fan of seeing a crying, jumpy Peeta. He's not like that, really!  
When Boredom Takes Over: You have no idea how much I want them to get into each other's pants. But I have something planned, so we'll both have to be patient! xD  
fadi25402702: Ugh, thank you for leaving these kind reviews.  
Anyways, onward!**

**Cato**  
He's still chattering about anything or anyone that comes to mind. Marvel, Glimmer, Clove, and names of all the kids he's befriended, who I hadn't bothered to get to know. What was the point? They would be dead in a matter of days anyways - probably by my hands. But Peeta didn't seem to believe he would or could kill anyone so suddenly. Everyone seemed to be his friend, which could be a strength and a weakness. Regretting having to kill him; but he'd be hesitant to kill others too. I want to comment on this and make sure he knows his mistakes, but instead, he talks over me again.  
"Cato, Cato! Why won't you talk to me about your home?" He asks, crawling over me again. I sigh, shaking my head. He wouldn't drop it, and he didn't seem near falling asleep either.  
"You haven't told me about 12." I reply, trying to put off talking about the memories of 2. I smile slightly, my fingers impulsively running through his hair. It's one of the few rare, caring gestures I've shown towards him, but he doesn't register happiness or shock at the fact that I was showing affection. His expression hardens and he moves away from me, the blanket falling from his shoulders.  
"I don't want to talk about home." He finally says, his halting, but thick, words making me sit up in concern. He shivers, but bats my hands away as I try to wrap the blanket around his shoulders again. "Stop." Peeta snaps, shoving me back lazily. I barely move, and his hands are left on my chest as he mumbles obscene words under his breath. His drunken state makes for a grumbling, weaker boy, who instead face-plants into my chest. I grunt in protest, pushing him a bit so he didn't suffocate in my shirt.  
"Peeta, what's so bad about 12?" I ask again, wanting to know. I'm curious - maybe I can use his past, somehow? A mean thought...but that's me.  
"Nothing. Why won't you tell me about 2?" He slurs again, his eyes focusing and then flitting around the room.  
"I don't think we're that close." I grimace at my lap as memories threaten to break the blockade in my mind, but my gaze is forced up as Peeta yanks me upwards.  
"The fuck?" I snarl, yanking out of his grasp. Has he forgotten who could easily snap his neck? A flash of a grin - he has.  
"So?"  
"So...I'm not comfortable telling you." I say quietly, my anger subsiding quickly as his eyes look at me warmly.  
"My mom hates me." He blurts out. "I'm - I'm convinced she does. I-I'm not like my brothers. I'll never be as good as them. She hates me!"  
"Shh." I try to keep calm, but he's growing louder and antsy by the second. The younger boy makes another grab for the bottle on my dresser, ignoring my protests and grip on his arms.  
"Okay, fine!" I give in, knowing he wouldn't stop fighting, unless he passed out. He grabs the bottle from the side and drinks, the alcohol disappearing down his throat. When he finishes the bottle, a grin replaces his torn expression before - though his eyes are still dark with fury.  
"Thanks for telling me...I guess..." I say awkwardly, trying to clear the sudden tension between us. But the new alcohol in Peeta's system has him swaying and looking seemingly forgetful, so I shut my mouth as he gives me a sloppy hug, his face pressing into the crook of my neck. I grumble, trying to push him away repeatedly. He fends off my protests with a giggle and a batting of his hands, gently nudging me back down on to the bed, his previous burst forgotten. But he still hasn't forgotten about me.  
"Were your parents mean?" He whispers, his fingers suddenly disappearing under the collar of my shirt. I want to answer, but the tickle of his fingers distracts me. I almost snap, ready to shove him, thinking it was a sexual advance.  
But it wasn't.  
To my disappointment...  
He pulls back the thin fabric slightly, his fingers ghosting over the angry, red and purple mark. I shiver as it sends stings and memories into my brain.  
No.  
I've blocked it out.  
I ignore him murmuring over my wound and focus on shutting it out again - no more pain, screaming - my eyes shut, and there's no more of it.  
"Cato..." Peeta mumbles, his fingers moving more nimbly than thought of for someone as drunk as he is. He prods the mark lightly, earning a wince from me. When he's done musing over it, his deep eyes meet my apparently cold ones.  
I'd be lying if I said he didn't melt me.  
There's a questioning look in his eyes, filled with concern and curiosity all the same. But there's also a hidden fire, angry and frustrated - but it's very cleverly hidden. He wants to know more, but he doesn't want to let his emotions overtake him. And the worry - the way he scrunched up his nose and brought his eyebrows together made me smile softly. But in the end, Peeta wouldn't know what to say. He was drunk - more drunk than he ever was and will be in his life - and I wasn't sure if he would even remember this night.  
Could I take advantage of that?  
"No." I hiss quietly, biting down on my lip as Peeta's hips shifted, moving against my thigh. "Don't do it." I say softly to myself, trying not to look at the baker strewn across my chest. A soft flutter of a sigh interrupts my thoughts, and I see his soft lips near my face.  
What is this?  
I almost lean forward in anticipation, my eyes widening and shutting all the same, when Peeta lunges towards my ear.  
Disappointment?  
Please.  
More like...relief...right?  
"Please," His lips tickle my ear lightly, but his tone is serious. There doesn't seem to be a trace of drunkenness in him now, but the slight slur to his words and glassy eyes gave him away. "I want to know you. Why won't you let me in?"  
"I don't let anyone in." I reply back simply, biting back a snicker at the boy, who believed he could break the walls I took the time and effort to build up.  
Scream.  
Block.  
Nothing.  
"You should. It's good for you." He replies confidently, despite the quaver in his voice."You know, I could have turned out like you. Cold, violent, angry...but I'm not." Peeta stands abruptly, teetering on his feet.  
"Peeta -" I start, holding a hand out to him.  
"No!" He stumbles towards the door, slowly making his way there. "If you won't talk to me, what's the point?"  
"We've just met - oh, god, just come here!" I shoot out of bed when he trips and almost smacks his head on the wall. Gripping him in my arms, I drag him over to the bed and yank the blanket over him. "Go to bed." I say sternly, glaring at him as he stares up at me.  
A beautiful blue.  
"Okay, Cato." He yawns quietly, and he reminds me of little child again; cute and small - though he's far from small.  
"Good night." I whisper, deciding to sleep next to him. He stiffens when I slip under the covers as well, his shoulders curling inward when he realizes that the monster was in bed with him. But then Peeta relaxed and turned towards me, eyes already closing. When he seems to be asleep, I tentatively pull him closer to me, his warm body settling into mine. Before I fall asleep as well, a weak voice shatters my peace.  
"Good night."

"Morning -" I jerk out of bed, seeing Clove at the door.  
"Clove! Fuck..." I glance over, thinking a blushing Peeta would be at my side. But he wasn't there. The side of my bed looked slept in, but it was lacking the boy who was supposed to be sleeping there.  
Did he leave me?  
"Cato..." She gives me an odd look, but then her expression turns stoic when she realizes that she's supposed to be mad at me. "Never mind. Figure it out yourself - what was that?" I stood as I heard a bang in my bathroom, followed by a string of curses. It could only be Peeta.  
"Nothing. Get out." I snap, nearly shoving her out. I ignore the suspicious look on her face and quickly slam and lock the door, running to the bathroom. When I get there, I see Peeta leaning over the sink, before he topples over again, a sweaty mess next to the toilet.  
"My head hurts." The boy moans in pain, his head over the toilet now. "I-I've thrown up twice." I immediately lean down next to him, watching his ashen face with a concern I hadn't shown before - to anyone.  
"Have you been here all night?" My voice seems to snap something inside of him. "Peeta?" I ask again, struggling to meet his gaze.  
"What are you d-doing here? Where am I?" He looks at me with cautious, wary eyes. The emotion in his gaze isn't warm anymore. His usually bright eyes are foggy and laced with pain. He's obviously confused and hurting - but I can't bring myself to tell him that he slept in my arms last night.  
And he could figure out the over-affectionate part of his drunk personality later.  
"You're in my room." I say, stony cold. After all, that's what I am to others. Why change for some boy from an outlying district? "You got drunk, and I couldn't just let you leave."  
His forehead creases.  
Does he remember now?  
"Oh." He looks at me hesitantly, his pale face still broadcasting his hangover. "W-What did I-I d-do?"  
He doesn't.  
"You bothered me."  
"Oh, sorry." But now, his tone is subtly sarcastic and he's struggling to get up and fight back. The look in his eyes leave a bitter taste in my mouth.  
"Whatever. Go back to your fire girl. I'm sure you'll be just as safe with her." As you were with me, I want to add. I protected you from the wrath of your mentors and possible punishment, had you ruined something on your way to your penthouse. All Firegirl did was giggle in your ear. Make you look desirable (to me?). I want to yell and scream until he understands why my moods shift around so much.  
But I don't, and watch as his eyes flash at my bitterness and arrogant voice.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" I open my mouth to retort back, or talk about how keeping him in my arms last night not only made him safe, but made me feel warm as well.  
But I couldn't say that.  
I'm Cato.  
"You're a Career now, Loverboy. Don't go running to her when you have the chance. You'll be safer with us." I take a step forward, and for the first time, there's no defiance in his eyes. He knows I'm right. He has to.  
A girl on fire versus a pack of vicious, well-trained Careers?  
Place the bets correctly on this one, Peeta.  
"Real Careers don't break bonds until the very last second." I say quietly, as his eyes widen. "You're one of us now, Peeta."  
"Peeta?"  
"Loverboy." I say quickly, moving him towards the door. I open it, seeing that everyone was in the dining room instead. He gives me a long look, before slipping past me, his familiar warmth enveloping me again.  
"Hey, Loverboy." I call. He turns, alarmed at the sound of my voice.  
"What?"  
"Don't screw up."

**Peeta**  
Don't screw up? What's that supposed to mean? There was a hint of warning in his eyes as he watched me leave, but it had to be something else. After all, he just loved to make fun of me and I've obviously fucked up enough already. It was one thing to have this horrible, painful hangover - I fucking drank, what the hell? - but it was another to wake up in my supposed enemy's bed - fuck, Katniss - and in his goddamn arms...which were muscular and warm...safe, too. I couldn't help but mull over the safety I felt when I had woken up. Even though I felt like shit, Cato somehow made me feel differently.  
I'm probably still drunk.  
Definitely.  
To be dreaming about him?  
No.  
But thinking about Cato brought me back to the question I had been asking, and he had avoided.  
What happened last night?  
The details were fuzzy and almost invisible as I tried to think about them. It was odd and almost frightening - but not like the look Katniss was giving me.  
"Peeta," She says sternly as I almost bump into her on my way to my room. Damn. So close. "Where have you been? You weren't in your room and...you smell like alcohol. And bile." The huntress wrinkles her nose and backs away slightly.  
"I...I...I have to go take a shower." I bolt before she can ask any more questions - leaving her in the dust.  
"Yeah, you do!" She calls after me playfully, even though I know she's mad and worried. I turn to look at her, my hand gripping the doorknob. Katniss is smiling warmly, not at all like her silent self before. I should be in love with her. That's the angle Haymitch has been drilling into our brains since day one. At one point, it became routine for us to act like a couple, even when no one was watching.  
I should be in love with the huntress.  
It's survival.

Breakfast wasn't as awkward as I thought it would be. Haymitch and Effie didn't notice my disappearance, probably focusing on Katniss - like always. Bitterness? Now, let's not become a Cato. I wince at my thoughts, shaking my head as his face fills my mind.  
No.  
Not now, not now.  
"So!" Haymitch booms, his hands slapping the table. It's a bit too early for him to be drunk - and he has sobered up a bit - but he seems to be in his bodacious and obnoxiously loud mood (much like his drunk self) today.  
"What is it, Haymitch?" Effie sighs, dabbing her mouth with a napkin.  
"Evaluations will be tomorrow morning, surprisingly enough. And interviews might follow, but we're not so sure." He finishes hastily, his eyes looking away. "So, keep in mind to train as much as you can."  
"Not so sure?" Katniss raises a judging eyebrow.  
"Shouldn't the Capitol be more organized? Unless you're forgetting something?" I say suspiciously, rising slightly from my chair. Haymitch gives me a look, and then glances towards Effie with a warning in his eyes.  
"I don't know." He mumbles. "Just eat and go get ready for training."

Katniss and I share a look, but we don't comment further. Haymitch is hiding something, but trying to weasel it out of him would be a tough task. In an attempt to leave the tension behind, I finish my food and walk all too quickly to my room - straight into Jules.  
"Jules!" I cry out, shocked. "Oh, god. Sorry. Didn't see you there. Come in." The dark-haired Avox follows behind me quietly, shuffling his feet shyly. When the door closes, he gives me a sharp look and yanks me into the bathroom.  
"Jules?" I ask curiously, yelping as he shoves me into a chair. "W-What is -" A pill disappears down my throat, and my pounding headache is gone.

_Peeta, why?_  
"Why what?"  
_I saw Ana today. Cato's Avox._  
"Oh..."  
_You were in bed with him! Drunk!_  
"Jules, I-I..."  
_No. Don't start. He's only making you weak. Before, you would kill him - no problem. What about now?_  
"I could!" The indignant tone sounds fake - like a small child, whining.  
_I hope. He will kill you without a second glance. Now get ready for training._

Jules leaves after making sure that I'm sane again, shooting me a warning look. I hold up my hands in an awkward surrender position, shrugging. When the door shuts, I sigh and change quickly, the black and red training uniform suffocating me as it conforms to my body. I fidget in front of the mirror, pulling the fabric until it allows room for me to breathe.  
"Peeta?" Katniss's familiar voice floats in through the closed door. "We're getting ready to leave now."  
"I'm done." I open the door and smile warmly at the girl who I'm supposed to be in love with.  
Now's not the time to question it.  
She smiles back at me, a sudden flicker of fondness in her eyes. I wince, looking away, deciding that keeping my eyes on the ground would be best for now. Haymitch and Katniss argued - again - over strategy and tactics, while I was stuck thinking about appearance. A vain thing, maybe, but it seemed that was the only thing going for me. My mom expected a winner.  
Katniss, not me.  
She's the one who has hunted all her life - probably knows how to survive on water and the leaves alone. Seemingly. And then there was me, flailing desperately in my attempt to make the both of us look desirable. This? This was just practice for the arena, as Haymitch tells us repeatedly. And being that Katniss will most likely be the one keeping me alive, I'm the one who has to charm the sponsors. But in the end, it was a clear outcome - Katniss would be the one to go home.  
"Peeta can lift."  
"What?" My attention's brought back to the conversation that I thought I wasn't a part of.  
"You can lift." Katniss's dark eyes meet my light ones, her eyebrows raising. "How many pounds?"  
"I'm not strong, Katniss." I reply quietly, rolling my eyes. Oh, so now they try and think of a sole strategy for me?  
"That's a lie." Katniss turns to Haymitch now. "I've seen him outside the bakery. He could probably lift about -"  
"Oh, so I can kill someone with a sack of flour now?" I snap angrily, the two of them jumping at my sudden outburst. "Face it, Katniss. You're going home. I'm not." And thank god, the elevator doors open after my fit, because I'm dying to get out. I walk out briskly, hoping to get away from them for a little while. Suffocating. They're suffocating me. Katniss calls my name, but I'm too busy mulling over my own thoughts. I'm just about to open the doors to the training center when they fly open, crashing into my face.  
"Shit!" A sharp pain and I feel a wet, warm substance drip down my face.  
"Oh, fuck." My silent panic as blood drips down my face only increases as I look up to see the brute from District 2. "Sorry, Loverboy."  
"Stop. Calling. Me. That!" My words come out as a garble, me spitting out blood along the way.  
"Peeta! Are you okay? What did you do to him?" Katniss glares up at Cato, while I sigh at the growing smirk on his face.  
"Can we not do this right now?" I mumble when Peacekeepers make their way over.  
"What did he do?" Katniss asks again.

"I'm fine, Katniss." I wave the Peacekeepers off, but they push forward again, pushing Cato and Katniss aside to look at the blood gushing from my nose. I sighed, rolling my eyes as they inspected it for further damage.

"Not broken." One of them proclaimed, giving me a piece of thick cloth. For some reason, there was a glitter of kindness in her eyes. I almost smiled back at her, before I realized that it would be an odd gesture. Instead, I pressed the cloth to my nose and nodded emotionlessly.

"I'm really sorry, Peeta." It seems that everyone turns in surprise to see the District 2 brute actually apologize. But I know it's just for show – Jules was right. He's only playing me. But I have to stay on his good side and make sure that when the Games came, he would be hesitant to kill me. Not that I could kill him – but if he could put off coming after me and Katniss, it could give me time.

Time for what? I didn't know.

"It's okay." I finally say, watching as the cloth in my hands turned to red. "Why don't we go practice together?" I put the cloth down and make sure my nose isn't bleeding, again waving off Avoxes and Peacekeepers as they tried to hand me ice. Cato had to look at the (accidental?) damage he did, if he was going to be this soft to me. I look at his tall and muscular stature; his jaw set tightly as he leads us, like always.

Always the leader.

When we turn towards the swords and knives, I started to panic, thinking that this was a bad idea – especially with Katniss glaring at me from across the center. But then Cato stops, and I walk right into his back.

"Oof." I back away from him, looking at his tense – muscular, Jesus – back as he stares at the racks of weapons. "What is it?"

"Get out of the way, Loverboy."

"What –"

"_Get out of the way_!" He shoves me aside and I wince, waiting for the blow to land on me – but nothing happens. I instead watch as he storms towards the center of the room and grabs a boy by his collar, shaking him.

"Where's my knife?" He yells, shaking him harder.

"I didn't take it!" The boy screams back, trying to shove him back. The Peacekeepers are running now, the scene unfolding too rapidly. Cato looks murderous and his fist is rearing back for a punch – until I grab his arm. I don't know how I got there and why I did it, but the boy scrambles from his grip and runs away, probably towards the bathroom.

"Peeta." Cato says coldly, yanking his hand out of my grip. "What are you doing?"

"I'm saving your ass." I reply back, simply. "We're friends now, aren't we?"

_Oh, great._

_Now I'm friends with a sadist._

**A/N: It's a sucky chapter, I know. Didn't have time to really edit it as I wrote this on mobile and wanted to put it up as quickly as I could for you guys. But I hope you liked it! Review please? :)**


	6. Chapter 6

___Sorry for my absence! Summer and all, with writer's block - doesn't help. But I'm back now, hoping to get some more motivation from reviews! So if you like/hate/love something or just want me to update, tell me so I can push myself! This chapter is really, really short, a bit rushed and not well-written, but I hope you guys still like it. It gets kind of smutty. Ish. A little. And the reason you don't see Cato's POV is because I decided to post this for you guys and write Cato's POV in the next chapter. Sorry for the not at all koala tea chapter that's coming your way._  
_- inseaofsound_  


**Peeta**

Cato glares at me for a second before dropping his fist and wrenching himself from the grasp of the Peacekeepers. I motion them away with a relaxed smile, trying not to give away the tension and fury behind my blue eyes. Everyone gives me and Cato – the unlikely pair of friends – a curious look, but I'm too busy glaring at Cato. I'm furious that he had tried something like that - all the while almost breaking my nose before. The bastard's lucky that we're friends now, because had it been a few days ago, I would have let the Peacekeepers take him away. Should I care about him getting punished? I sigh, seeing that I do. When Cato starts to walk away and the Peacekeepers move towards him again, I panic and grab his hand, lacing our fingers together, yanking him back.

"Don't we have something to talk about?" I say sweetly, pulling on his hand when he opens his mouth to protest. He seems to freeze, looking down at our intertwined fingers. I shrug it off – I'm usually affectionate anyway. He probably wasn't used to it. When his cold eyes meet mine again, I cock an eyebrow. "Cato," I warn him, my eyes flashing.

"Okay, Peeta." I'm shocked to hear the surprisingly sweet tone, but then I realize that he faked it - it's sickly and there are traces of cold resentment in it, followed by a dark expression, glaring intensely at me. I pull on his hand once more and we walk out, hand in hand, which must have freaked out Katniss…I would just have to explain it to her later. When we left the doors and Cato shoved me into a corner, we pulled our hands apart, as if they were burning with hatred.

"You're an idiot." I growl, rolling my eyes back at him when he makes a face. "Cato, I never knew you could be so stupid!"

"That kid took my knife. I put it down right there and -"

"Listen to yourself! You sound like a two year old, fighting for a toy. The Peacekeepers could've punished you if you went any further. You know that."

"Peeta." Cato snaps, the name rolling off his tongue with poison seeping into his tone. "Why do you care?"

I open my mouth to try and say something in a demeaning tone, but realize that I have no reason to be here. Cato's right - why _am_ I caring for this blonde brute? Sure, he took care of me when I was drunk off of my ass. Was I just trying to repay the favor? I sigh, running my hands through my hair with a frustrated expression on my face. He gives me an amused smile which I see before it disappears, replaced by the usual indifferent look.

"I care because you did. Now, come on."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just move your ass." I yank him back through the doors of the training room and walk towards the wrestling mat, stretching my arms out. I promised Thresh that I would help him as he trained with an instructor, but the boy from 11 seemed to be nowhere in sight. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned, thinking it would be him.

"Peeta."

"What do you want, Cato? I need to train." I say, exasperated. I look around for Thresh and see him standing against the wall, shaking his head. When I motion for him to come over, he laughs and holds his arms up, still shaking his head.

Damn it.

I'm stuck with him.

"Why don't you wrestle me?"

"Because…" I waver on the sentence, not wanting to give the boy a larger ego than he already had. "I don't want to – _mmph_!" I gasp as Cato lunges at me, immediately straddling my waist and smashing his hands against my chest. The air's immediately knocked out of my lungs and leaves me gulping for air as Cato's weight presses into me.

"You were saying?"

"Get off."

"I _am_ getting off on the fact that you're under me right now." Cato gives me a grin, which quickly dissolves when I sit up and shove him off of my lap, standing so I can press a foot against his throat.

"I told you I didn't –" Cato's hand whips out and grabs my ankle, pulling me to the ground so I fall harshly on my tailbone. I cry out, knowing that it's been bruised from last time, and then Cato straddles me again, struggling with me so he can pin my arms down and finally call victory. "Cato –" I whimper quietly, feeling his crotch against mine, the heat and pressure on my own starting what I didn't need him or others to see. When I stop struggling and try to think of something horrible – cats, dogs, being killed, just anything – to stop my arousal from becoming evident, Cato grabs my wrists and yanks them over my head. An involuntary groan emits from my lips when the action causes him to rub up against me, making Cato finally look me in the eye.

"Sore loser?" He smirks, looking at my flustered face.

"Please get off of me."

"Why? What if I like it here?"

"Cato, get off of me now." I kick my legs and hear a gasp from Cato, followed by another quiet moan from me.

"I _can't_," Cato whispers, suddenly looking urgent as well. I steal a quick glance below and suppress laughter at the incredulity of it all.

"You've got to be kidding me, Cato."

"It's not my problem!" He suddenly whines, and then I start laughing again, looking up at the ceiling. "You have one too." Cato mumbles, trying to move his hips away from mine.

"Look –" There's a shrill bell that signals the beginning of lunch and Katniss runs over, giving us a look that underestimated the oddness of the situation.

"Hey, are you coming?" She asks me, ignoring Cato.

"I will be soon." I grumble under my breath. Cato flashes me a quick smile that disappears rapidly when Katniss clears her throat.

"No, he's not. He will when I say he can." I keep in another chuckle as the brute on me glares up at Katniss. I guess these would be one of those times to like the arrogance and dominance Cato possesses.

"Fine." Katniss gives me a worried glance, but goes to walk with Clove, who's waiting at the door for her. I can see her shaking her head, a word on her lips. _Boys._

"Okay, it's empty. Can you get off of me now?" I ask him quietly, the silence in the room slightly creeping me out.

"Um…Peeta…" Cato pushes his hips against mine in a sudden motion, making me yelp in surprise – but it quickly turns into a moan. "I have to get rid of it."

"Then go to the bathroom!" I snap, though I'm dazed from the feeling of his erection rubbing against mine.

"I'm _not_ doing it in there." Cato says angrily, grinding down on me once more. I gasp, writhing under his weight. My hands claw in the air, trying to get him to release them, but he doesn't. He only moves against me again, his hips taking on a slow, rocking motion that leaves me breathless.

"Why are you doing this?" I wasn't really…_displeased_ though.

"I…shut up." My hips buck up against my will to meet his movements and he smirks down at me, raising an eyebrow.

"Aw, little virgin Peeta –"

"Cato, I swear to god I will leave you like this if you say one word about me."

"Then I'll tell everyone that a certain boy from 12 decided that humping me was a good idea."

"It wasn't my idea!" I cry out, the look on my face making Cato laugh. He slams into me now, bringing more pain than pleasure and I squirm in discomfort, giving him an angry glare. He slows down again, starting to breathe shallowly.

"Peeta, I-"

"Okay, please don't tell me when you're going to –"

"Shit!" Cato jumps off of me and scrambles away, an expression on his face making me sit up in concern. I peer closer, trying to read him and I swear that's fear. His cheeks are pink from his arousal, but his eyes are wide and seemingly frightened.

"…Cato…?" I ask curiously. "Are you okay?" His sudden wariness of me made my shaft deflate – thank god – and I moved closer to him, trying to forget the previous events that led up to this moment. "Are you okay?"

"Go away." He stands and storms off, leaving me in the dust, breathless and confused.


	7. Chapter 7

**Cato**

After the episode with Peeta, I excused myself quickly and rushed towards the bathroom, blushing madly and judging by the looks on the Peacekeepers, I looked furious enough to make them part the seas for me. I stop in my tracks, cursing under my breath when the bathroom is nowhere to be seen and kick the table, hearing a satisfying crunch as the leg breaks. A Peacekeeper peeks cautiously around the corner and quickly turns away when I snarl at him. I grin to myself - even the big, bad Peacekeepers are scared of me. Of course.  
"Cato?" Peeta's soft voice echoes through the hall. I hear light footsteps walk my way and swear under my breath. "Cato?" I feel my heart skip a beat, but I shove that feeling away and look for my escape.  
"Shit." I mumble under my breath. With the bathroom in the depths of any hall here, I take off to find the lunchroom, bursting through the door noisily. Every head turns to look my way and I puff my chest out arrogantly, trying to erase the fear that was on my face earlier. Peeta Mellark might make me weak, but no one else will. Clove gives me a stern look as I enter, shoving my lunch tray at me as I sit down with the rest of the Careers. I note that Katniss is sitting with the District 11 tributes with a small grin on her face as she talks to Rue.  
"Not sitting with your new best friend, Clove?" I toss in her direction, stabbing my meat with a fork. "Thought you were in love with her or somethin'." Glimmer giggles at my comment and I smirk at the brunette, who glares back at me.  
"Cato, c'mon." Marvel says lazily, his fork falling with a clatter. "Katniss is okay. Peeta's the one to hang around with."  
"Speaking of," Clove says loudly as I try to interject my protests. "Where is he? Last I saw, you looked like you were going to molest him." She says this dryly, but I see something hidden in her suspicious gaze.  
"Cato's gay?" Glimmer's eyes widen with astonishment. "Is that why he doesn't like me?"  
"Yeah, that's why, slut." I snap back at her sarcastically, not caring that her expression crumbles. "God, get a hold of yourself."  
"Cato, where's Peeta?" I groan audibly when I hear the voice of Katniss fucking Everdeen behind me. I don't turn to look at her for fear that I would accidentally let it slip that Peeta and I ground against each other for the relief of my own sexual frustration.  
And then that popped into my head.  
I grimaced as I felt another stirring below, but ignored it.  
"Bathroom." I grunt, shoveling the meat down my throat. I chew for a long time, to avoid answering any questions, when the doors burst open yet again.  
"What did you do to Peeta?" Clove says in a low voice, making sure the others don't hear her. "He looks..." I turn in my chair and my stomach flip flops at the sight - strong Peeta Mellark is blushing, breathless again, and his hair's tousled in a way that makes him look...  
Shit.  
I shut my eyes as I remember what I was thinking when we were...  
Just the thought of his body under mine made my heart pound.  
Shit.  
Shit.  
Did I like him?  
I couldn't. No.  
I had to kill him.  
"Katniss," Peeta says warmly, walking towards her. I see Katniss lean in and I inhale sharply, thinking that she's about to kiss him. She almost does, but Peeta turns his head immediately and sees me, my eyes narrowing when Katniss kisses his cheek.  
Nope.  
Not jealous at all.  
"Hey Peeta!" A chorus of voices echo around me. I turn to give the rest of the Careers an incredulous look - since when were they best friends?  
"Dude," Marvel says through mouthfuls of his food. "You look like you've just fucked someone." He says crudely, looking over him again, chuckling.  
"Is that what I get for running here?" Peeta jokes, but his eyes are on mine. He runs his hand through his tousled hair and gives Marvel a curious look. "Is there a seat -"  
"Thresh and Rue saved you one. Let's go." Katniss takes his hand yet again and pulls him over there, making me grip my fork in annoyance. Marvel and Glimmer share a glance, but don't comment any further, knowing that wouldn't be smart.  
"Cato," Clove says, standing. "Brutus and Enobaria want to see us. Let's go."  
"I'm not done-"  
"Cato, let's go." Even though I could probably sit on her and break her, the tone of finality has me standing, despite my usual dominance over her. When we exit the room, Clove stops me in my tracks, pulling on my training outfit to yank me to a stop.  
"I thought Brutus and Enobaria needed us." I say gruffly, rubbing the spot on my back.  
"They don't," Clove replies simply, staring up at me. "What's your deal with Peeta?"  
"What?" I give her an incredulous look. "I just don't like him. Didn't we go over this?"  
"No. We didn't. I see the way you look at him. And when you just barged in, I saw your deer in headlights look."  
"I don't-"  
"Yeah, you do. Few years back, you thought you were in love with some fuck buddy? Same look. See? Right there!" She points it out and frowns, crossing her arms. "What happened?"  
"Nothing!" I snap, trying to forget the sudden butterflies I felt for Peeta. "Lay off me. I'm fine. Now, do we really need to see Brutus and Enobaria or what?"

"Well, you weren't there when they told us, Cato." Clove says, studying her nails. "Interviews. They're tonight."

Judgment night. It came rather unexpectedly which made me raise my eyebrows in suspicion, but I didn't question it. What was the point of questioning the Capitol anyway? Regardless, I pushed the feelings aside and worried for my image and others instead. I have high hopes for Peeta; who couldn't love his charm? I found myself being…I shuddered at the thought and the past hour, where Peeta had been practically skipping around with Clove in our living room until he was called away. I tried not to feel it, but there was something bubbling up inside of me that made me smile whenever he grinned at Clove. But his eyes would always meet mine, and my smile would disappear into a smirk. I sigh, resting my chin in my hands and glancing over at Clove in the elevator. Clove had her demented angle to play, where sponsors would immediately cash in her survival to becoming the victor. But they haven't met me yet. When I come on stage, they'll forget about Clove, Glimmer, and Marvel. I'll be the one they're looking for.  
The obvious victor.  
Katniss may have made an 11 in the surprise training session we had with the Gamemakers - how the bitch even made that is beyond my imagination - but so did I. All she had was her entrance and training scores. Who would want to support a ragged girl from 12? No one. But then there was Peeta, who made a modest 8.  
I had to do well in this.  
My prep team has made sure I looked perfect, but then again, I already looked like a god. It couldn't have taken long, but yet, I'm late to the line. When I see Clove and the rest of the Careers at the end, I'm confused at the placement. I'm sure that the Districts go in order – I'm positive.  
"Shouldn't we be at the front?" I ask as I walk over.  
"They wanted to reverse it this year." Clove replies.  
"Probably wanted Loverboy and Firegirl to steal the show." Marvel says bitterly, smoothing the front of his jacket down. "God, why don't they fuck already? Saves us the trouble of watching them flirt all the fucking time." I smile slightly, seeing that Marvel had forgotten about his friendship with Peeta and Katniss, as the interviews meant the Games had to be coming soon. But Brutus and Enobaria hadn't told us about when the Games would begin either. Shouldn't they start tomorrow? I shake off the feeling of anxiety and turn my attention back to the group.  
"Marvel, we could say the same about you and Barbie." Clove sneers at him and Glimmer, slender in a provocative dress, revealing almost everything.  
"Jealous?" Glimmer snaps back.  
"Don't even try." Clove laughs. She's in a better mood - especially since Peeta waves to her. After she waves back, he keeps waving.  
"Oh." I lift my hand in a wave. I forgot - we were friends now – friends that had gotten too close for a brief amount of time - which meant acting like one. He smiles back at me and turns away, leaning his head in to talk to Katniss. I feel my expression slip as I study their close proximity.  
"Cato." Clove whispers, nudging me. "Are you okay? I thought you didn't like him."  
"I don't." I mutter curtly. Everyone's eyes follow Katniss out the door, as she nervously starts towards Caesar Flickerman. The applause is deafening - they want to see the girl from an outlying district that made an 11. Peeta watches her anxiously, as he's mouthing words to himself. I want to study him more, but soon his gaze turns to mine and I snap my eyes to the television that shows all of the tributes' interviews.  
Boring. So Katniss's dress turns to flames. So what? She hasn't played an angle. I see her as a giggly mess; like Glimmer. But as her interview ends, we see the selfless girl who volunteered for her sister.  
Great.  
Pity party.  
And then Peeta's up. I can tell that his hands are shaking, but he's striding over to Caesar with a subtle confidence under his charming smile.  
"Peeta Mellark, it's so nice to have you here."  
"Thanks for having me, Caesar." Peeta grins and waves towards the screaming audience. "It's wonderful in the Capitol."

Charming bastard.

The banter goes on, making me smile to myself as Marvel fumes in anger – this boy, his laughter is contagious. His smile is infectious. And moreover, he can make the audience cry as they laugh uproariously at he and Caesar smelling each other, talking about how they smell like roses. I purse my lips to suppress my smile and glance over at Clove when she nudges my arm. She gives Peeta a proud look and then looks at me with a smirk on her face.

"Shut up." I grumble as Caesar quiets the audience down.

"So, Peeta. A boy like you must have someone special at home, right?" Caesar leans forward to appear interested. I roll my eyes, though my heart races.

"Well, I don't think she's noticed me until I was reaped." Peeta says shyly, his eyes flickering away from the audience and towards Caesar. I freeze, my mouth almost dropping open in surprise. "But we've gotten closer now."

Oh, no.

"Well, that means that when you win and return home, you'll definitely have her, right?"

"Winning won't help in my case…because she came here with me."

I want to die.

After Clove says her piece and the audience is clearly enthralled by the girl with the knives, I hear my name being announced and I grip my hands together, shaking off Marvel's hand as it rests on my shoulder. Though it's a comforting gesture, I don't need it. I'm confident I can be the star of this show. I walk onto stage, my long legs carrying me rather quickly to Caesar, where I shake his hand and offer a winning smile to the audience. Of course – they go insane.

"All right, settle down!" Caesar waves his hands and laughs, looking at me with a smile. "How are you, Cato? Ready for the upcoming Games?"

"Well, Caesar. I can tell you that I'm vicious, prepared, and ready to go. I've heard I'm quite the violent guy."

"Is that so?"

"Incredibly." I flash another smile and hear screams from the front row. Glancing over, I fake another smile on my face as the plastic, shiny faces of Capitol girls show affection for me.

"Wow, quite a club you have there, Cato!"

"I can see. And hear. Hey!" I wave cockily to them and smirk slightly when screams are heard in response. "Amazing people you have here, Caesar."

"Is that so? Well, I would believe! Have you met anyone amazing?" Caesar winks at me, watching as the audience swoons with the idea of harsh, cold Cato – who has a certain amount of charm in him to make girls fall over him – is a hopeless romantic, falling in love as Peeta Mellark did.

"I did." I say curtly, folding my arms over my chest and leaning back. "He's…" I swallow loudly, realizing my mistake. "Um…I met some great people here."

"He? Now, now, Cato. Are you trying to tell us something?" The audience shushes each other and I can see most of them leaning forward, as if straining to hear my answer – though it hadn't even been spoken yet.

"N-Not really…"

"Sources tell us that Peeta and you have grown very close. Is that true?"

"Yes."

"But I've also heard that he's the only one you treat a bit more nicely than everyone else. Also true?"

"Maybe."

"Why's that?"

"Because I love him."

The audience is silent.

And I realize that I'm an idiot.

When I'm taken backstage, Brutus and Enobaria are staring at me in astonishment. Clove's gaping and it seems that her mouth would never close. I try to say something, but my heart is pounding out of my chest. With the sudden realization onstage that I did love the boy from 12, I had blurted it out – to the pleasure of the audience, but to the horror of me and from what I could tell, Peeta and Katniss.  
I did it.  
I can't believe it.  
"Guys -" I'm interrupted by a shrill scream from Clove, and then a force on my right knocks me to the ground. I land on my shoulder and almost shout out in pain, gripping it and groaning. But then something heavy is pinning me down and I look up, my pain evaporating and nervousness spreading through my body.  
"How could you?" The horrid, furious voice of Peeta shouts. I struggle against his weight, but he seems to have gained a newfound strength. He's pinning me down almost effortlessly.  
"I had to!" I finally choke out, unable to tell him that I truly love him. The way he talks. The way he smiles and waves at me. I…  
"I'm not some angle you can play - get off of me!" Peeta is yanked off of me by Haymitch, and Brutus pulls me up. Peeta makes another lunge for me while I wince, bringing my arms in to protect myself. I couldn't hurt him – knowing that if he did attack me, I would go into autopilot.  
"I...I had to!" The only words I can say. The only excuse I can give after watching Peeta announce his love for Katniss. I want to say that it was to start a love triangle and drama - attention from sponsors - but it's not true.  
I love Peeta.  
And he doesn't believe me.  
"You just ruined everything!" He yells, straining against Haymitch's arms. "Katniss and I; we're supposed to be the star-crossed lovers. That was going to get us sponsors!"  
"Peeta -"  
"We had an alliance!" Peeta's face is beet red, and he won't stop yelling.  
I hate it.  
"You have everything, Cato! Why can't you give someone else a chance?" Before I can answer, he laughs dryly. "Oh, because you're Cato. That's it. I'm out."  
"Out of the Careers?" I feel a sense of panic rise in my chest. "Peeta, please. You need to be protected." _You need to stay with me._  
"Because I'm such a weakling, right? That's what you've been saying since we've met!" He shakes his head and shoots me another glare. "This alliance is over." Peeta jerks himself out of Haymitch's grip and storms away, followed by a flustered Katniss.

I turn to face Brutus, Enobaria, and Clove, my own face pink with humiliation.

Well.

Fuck.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: You all must hate me. Please, just blame school. I've just started last week and with all of my classes, homework, and practices every day after school, adding on to homework, I have no time. So, my updates will be erratic. I know. I'm a bad fanfic writer. Wah. Don't hate me. And I know I'm rushing their relationship but…Well, smut's a lovely thing and rushing relationships means sooner smut. :D Oh, I'm a horrible person. And yes, Cato's POV is short because I wanted to elongate it in the next chapter…Oh, I know, I make their POVs extremely uneven in one chapter. Sighs. **

**Also, you see a mother-son relationship with Enobaria and Cato I didn't really get to explore in the previous chapters, which I apologize about, because my writer's mind takes me somewhere, and I was reluctant to cut it out, as Cato needs to have someone calm him down.**

**UPDATE: Sorry, I had this chapter for a while and never got to post it. My parents started to block some sites I went to and just unblocked out of the bulk of them. Excuses, but this is a legit one.**

**Peeta**

"I can't believe his nerve!" I snap, feeling anger pour through me as a torrent of emotion. It was fake, obviously. Why would Cato _love_ me? From what I saw, Cato was as straight as an arrow. _With a little curve on the side._ He sure knew how to act – even backstage, the heartbroken look I saw from him was most definitely one that faked all of the manipulation behind it. I shudder briefly and bring my arms to fold around my chest as Haymitch and Katniss share their little look again, making me frustrated. All they had were secrets. I hated not knowing and feeling left out – the only thing they let me in on was the star-crossed lovers' thing. After that, both had retreated into their holes to discuss strategies I wasn't a part of. I sent them a glare, which startled them both, never having seen this snappy side of me. When Katniss's eyes widen, I purse my lips and mutter an apology under my breath. Though I'm angry, she doesn't deserve to have it taken out on her. After all, I'm supposed to be kind and in love with her and act like it, outside and inside the privacy of our penthouse.

"Sorry." I breathe, rubbing my arms anxiously as goosebumps sprout up on them. "I'm just really annoyed right now. I didn't mean to take it out on you guys." Katniss nods, but I can tell that she's hurt from the mad looks I've been giving her. Haymitch doesn't really care – but actually looks like he's thinking about this, his finger tapping his chin. "What is it? Just tell me instead of keeping me out of the loop, like always." I grumble, gnawing on my lip.

"Katniss," Haymitch says as the elevator doors open. "Get ready for training tomorrow. It'll probably be your last day. And I need to speak with Peeta." Katniss gives him a long look, but Haymitch only shrugs and pretends to act nonchalant. Everyone can tell that he's brewing something up in his mind, but I couldn't tell what exactly it was – his thinking face vaguely resembled squinting at a screen. We step out of the elevator and Haymitch motions for her to go to her room. She sighs impatiently and storms off as quietly as she can.

"What is it, Haymitch?" I ask wearily, rubbing my temples. "I've really had enough for one night." _I love him._ I shake my head, unable to fully process the fact that Cato had actually said that _on national television._ It stunned me beyond belief. I couldn't believe he had the nerve to say that, when it was obviously fake.

Obviously.

So why was there a flutter of hope in my stomach?

I want to ignore the feeling and tell it to get the hell away from me – tell Cato to get the hell away from me. Obviously now, we weren't going to be the best of friends. I shut my eyes at the prospect of bumping into him and the rest of the Careers tomorrow, though everyone else seemed to be nice to me. Surprisingly enough. But Cato had enough power over them to change their minds and had motive to, especially after I tackled him backstage. I could probably expect a few "accident" injuries tomorrow. Wincing at the thought, I turn to face Haymitch as he crosses the room to sit in a large and comfy chair, swirling a drink in his hand. I give him a raised eyebrow and he huffs, slamming the cup back down onto the table and rolling his eyes.

"Peeta, you could use this to your advantage." Haymitch says bluntly, leaning back in his seat leisurely. I take the seat across from him and give him a hard glare, wondering exactly what he was getting at.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Haymitch drawls, rolling his eyes. "Instead of Katniss, you love Cato."

"What?" My mouth falls open in disbelief, and we stare at each other in silence – Haymitch looking at me calmly, and my face turning beet red. "I already told Panem I loved Katniss! I can't just…"

"I mean that you use what Cato said to get onto the Careers' good side. We already have you in, but they could kill you easily. You could use his emotions against him and you can have a better chance of surviving. Katniss could survive on sole hunting skills. You have your charm, but that won't save you in the end." His words fall like knives against my heart, but he doesn't seem to know that. All I hear is _Katniss is better than you. You'll die because you aren't Katniss Everdeen._ I guess I should have been more…at peace with my inevitable death. But when Haymitch said it like that, I realized that it was actually happening. In a few days or weeks, Peeta Mellark would be a household name in Panem.

But I wouldn't be around to witness it.

"You're making it sound like I'm using Cato's feelings to get me in." I suddenly discover, my eyes darting up to meet Haymitch's. "But Cato was lying. So, if I tried to 'use' him, wouldn't he just kill me instead? Because he was lying?"

The corner of Haymitch's lips twitches before it spreads into a wide grin and he tilts his head back, a loud, obnoxious laugh echoing through the room. He laughs until he coughs and wheezes, until his face turns red and he leans back forward, burying his face in his hands as his shoulders shook with his hearty, obnoxiously loud laughter.

"What?" I'm horrified to hear the whine in my voice, but it brings Haymitch's attention back to me and he slowly quiets down with just a small smirk on his face.

"Oh, Peeta," He chuckles. "I'm sure he wasn't lying."

I'm unable to sleep. Nightmares come and go, and just when my eyes are about to close, I shoot up at the slightest sound, my shoulders tensing. The talk with Haymitch left me confused about Cato and worried about my death in the Games. Who would be the one to do it? And how? Would I slowly bleed to death? Would I be tortured by sadistic Careers? Would Cato betray me? I shiver and bury myself in the blankets and shoving my face into the pillow until I feel like I can't breathe. I turn my head and gasp for air, feeling like a fish out of water. I hated this twist of fate – one that had me getting prepared for the slaughter and complicating things with the girl I was sure I've loved my entire life. And I did, didn't I? There was a shred of me that loved her so much, it hurt. And when she started to return the affections, I thought my dreams had come true. But then Cato came along with his blue eyes, crooked smirk, and muscular body, and I had no idea what I was feeling anymore. And the fact that he had taken away layer by layer when I was around him made it all the better. It made me feel special, knowing that Cato would be cold to everyone else, but struggle to be more open with me.

But I had to be realistic.

Why would Cato do this to me? Tell the world he loved me when we hadn't known each other for more than a week. And half the time before, he was trying to kill me. We were abusive to each other in the first few days of meeting each other, and then rutting against each other a few days later. There was me, drunk and sprawled on his chest one morning, and then there was Cato smiling at me randomly before his gaze dropped and he barked at Glimmer for holding onto him again.

Honestly.

Our relationship was fucked up.

Unable to go to sleep especially with my racing thoughts, I sit up and groan audibly.

"Why?" I whisper to myself, trying to cope with the conflicted emotions that threatened to tear me apart.

"You tell me, Loverboy." The voice comes from the shadows and I know in that second that it's Cato, but it doesn't stop me from leaping out of the bed and tripping over myself, landing on my bottom as my legs are still tangled with the blanket. I hear a low chuckle and his tall body steps out from the shadows, and I can tell that he's trying to keep up the cocky and arrogant look he usually has on his face.

He looks crestfallen as I move away from him.

"How did you get in here?" I whisper, untangling my legs as I lift myself off of the floor. I ignore his outstretched hand with a slightly raised eyebrow before I compose myself and give him a withering look. He actually flinches, stunning me. "What?"

"Nothing." Cato snaps, turning to wrench the door open. "I shouldn't have come-"

We both look shocked as my fingers suddenly wrap around his wrist.

"What are you doing?" He asks, his voice strained.

"I need to talk to you."

"Why do you think I came here?" Cato suddenly explodes, his arm flying out of my grasp. "I _wanted_ to talk you! You fucking tackled me. You yelled at me and made a fool of me, and all I wanted to do was talk to you! But you didn't listen, now did you? All you were concerned about was how you and Katniss looked. You weren't even mildly worried about me! You didn't want to talk to me and glared fucking daggers at me, and now here you are, saying you want to talk to me? That you need to talk to me? You're fucking ridiculous!" The torrent of words flood out of his mouth, each word hitting my heart painfully.

He was furious.

But why would he be so upset over a lie? Cato couldn't love me. It wasn't possible to love someone over a short amount of time like that.

"Are you done?" I murmur quietly, my eyes fixated on my feet. I couldn't look at him – not even when he stared at me silently for what seemed like years. He stays stony until my eyes flicker up and cautiously look at him, and I gape at the raw, clear emotion on his face. "You like me. You actually like me."

"What?" Cato laughs, but there's a panic in his eyes before it disappears to his regular cold. "No, I don't. I just said that. You're a pathetic, little thing. Why would I ever even _like_ you?" He snarls, stepping forward. I stumble backwards, but shoot the best glare of annoyance I had at him.

"You told everyone! And I can see it on your face. Right there." I stick my finger out and stab it towards his eyes, but instead I lightly poke his cheek, and he blinks in surprise. I open my mouth to fend off any sarcastic remark he decides to send my way, but instead I hear laughter. I cock my head as a genuine warmth rings around the room before Cato decides to clamp up as to not wake up the others, and because the frosty glare was sliding into his gaze again.

"Look, Mellark," Cato says coldly, starting towards me. "I don't like you. My mentors told me to say something that would make me seem a little bit more…human, and you popped into my head then-" He pauses, wondering exactly how the words seemed to sound and immediately blushes, making me chuckle under my breath. "What's so funny? I don't fucking like you! I'm not gay!"

"Calm down." I roll my eyes at his reaction and cross my arms. "I don't like you either." I frown as a brief expression of pain takes over on the boy in front of me and cock my head in curiosity. "Cato?"

"You don't?" He says in a low voice, scuffing his foot on the carpet.

"What…what are you talking about? I don't like you, you don't like me. You've made it very clear."

"N-No…I-I thought maybe w-we were friends…"

"Someone fucked that up." I say back, but I can't keep the surprise out of my voice. "So what, we're friends again? You can't hardly expect me to forgive you –"

"You fucking tackled me!" Cato retorts, shoving me back. I grumble and stagger back, my arms coming out of their crossed position to keep my balance.

"You said you loved me in front of the entirety of Panem!" I shout back, my fists clenching. _So we're back to this again. Just as we were going back to normal. But there's no such thing as normal with two boys from District 2 and 12._

"So what? You nearly killed me."

"Did not!"

"Oh, come on. What if I hit my head? Or you choked me, damn it? You caught me by surprise too. That's an honorable way to fight." Cato sneers sarcastically at me, still hulking over me like the larger boy he was. "Attacking someone while they're not watching? I see a Career in you."

"Sorry, Cato. I don't think I'm selfish enough to be as much as a _Career_ as you."

I ended up on the ground.

"Cato!" I struggled underneath his large arms and his body, his legs straddling my waist as he pins me down with a feral expression on his face. His face was pink with anger and his lips were twisted into a menacing snarl as he pressed down on my shoulders, keeping my writhing down to a minimum.

"What did you say, Loverboy?"

"So we're back to this again."

"What did you say?" He repeats, growling deep in his throat. I stop struggling and roll my eyes, relishing in the surprise on his face. He clearly liked his victims to fight back, and I just remained limp underneath him. His eyes blink, but he doesn't loosen the grip he has on me.

"I didn't invite you in here so you could attack me." I say to the ceiling, our eyes meeting as we seem to remember the same memory where we ended up in the same position. Cato immediately jumps off of me as if he's been burned and sits on the ground in front of my legs, giving me a long and harsh glare.

"I hate you."

"You do know you have to act like you're in love with me whenever we go into the Games." I snap back, watching as Cato recoils from the realization, his eyes dropping to the ground as he mutters to himself. I sit up and prop myself up with my elbows to ask him what he said, but then he stands.

And then he's gone.

**Cato**

"Well, that was a fucking great idea." I grumble to myself, pressing my thumb against the elevator button with impatience. I mutter curses under my breath when the elevator seems to not want to come to the top floor and am about to kick the door in, when a hand grabs my wrist and tugs my arm lightly. I turn and see the blue eyes of Peeta goddamn Mellark, who maybe I wasn't in love with. No, no, no it was lust. I came to the conclusion the second he wrapped his fingers around my wrist because hell, I only knew the boy because of his charm and appearance. I wasn't in love with him. Nope. Not at all. I couldn't be, because love at first sight didn't exist, especially when I tried to strangle him the first time I saw him.

"What do you want, Peeta?" I ask, exasperated with the game we were playing.

"I want to help you." He finally says after a pregnant pause. I give him a shocked expression.

"I don't need your help." I say coolly.

"Yes you do. You're a machine to everyone else, you know that? Everyone just sees you, Cato the killer. Why can't you be a killer and a l-lover at the same time? Don't you think I could help you get more sponsors?" We blush at the same time, but ignore teasing the other like we both knew we would.

"What about Katniss?"

"She…Never mind her. Why don't we practice?"

"Practice what, Peeta? You're confusing me." I heard the elevator beep behind me and yank my wrist out of his grasp, turning away from him and almost bolting into the cool metal space.

"Wait!" He says desperately, following me in.

"What, now?" I groan, leaning against the wall and closing my eyes as fatigue set in. "You didn't want me around seconds ago, and now here you are, following me? What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"We could cause drama, you and I. The sponsors we would get." Peeta says in a low voice, starting towards me as the doors close and I roll my eyes when he stops me from trying to press the button that would lead me back to my room. "Just practice our act for the Games for once and we'll see from there, okay?"

"What act –" I gasp involuntarily when he presses his hands against my chest, pressing me back against the wall. "What are you doing?" I ask weakly when his hands travel down my chest to rest on my waist, blue eyes flickering up to meet mine.

"Practicing our act." He bends his head and leans into me, his breath ghosting over my throat and the side of my neck, leaving me breathless and making my heart race with every move he made.

"I still don't know what this _act_ –"

"Shut _up_, Cato." Peeta's lips claim my neck as he trails up and down the skin, kissing me there softly. I didn't mean to run my hands through his soft, golden hair, and I didn't mean to breathe shallowly, closing my eyes as I tilt my head to the side and let him leave his small kisses alongside my neck.

"I don't want to shut up," I finally challenge him, though it's late and strained as Peeta's teeth appear and bite down on me, making me yelp. "Peeta!" He grins against my neck and kisses up the side of my face, until he's on his toes and kissing my forehead, traveling back down so he can reach my lips.

"This…this is just pretend…You know that, right?" Peeta says softly, staring at my lips as I bite my bottom lip anxiously. I freeze at his words, the hands on his back gripping him hard enough to leave bruises.

"Get off of me."

"Cato –"

"_Get off!"_ I push him back with the strength in me and watch as he's slammed into the wall, groaning in pain.

"Cato, wait –" Peeta starts, but stops as he shrinks back from me when I turn to glare at him. I slam my fist against the 2 and hate the fact that we're stuck in an elevator, unable to escape each other's company.

_This…this is just pretend…You know that, right?_

"Cato –"

"Shut. Up."

"Cato, please, just let me talk –"

"I told you to shut up!" I shout, grabbing his shoulders and shaking him furiously. "Why won't you just shut up?" I'm shocked to hear the plea in my voice, but I'm still slamming him violently into the wall and when I stop, he gasps and holds the railing he's seated against. "I…I'm sorry." I whisper, suddenly feeling shame weigh me down. "I don't know what you're doing to me…Why are you doing this?"

"Doing what?" Peeta asks breathlessly, looking at me with wide blue eyes. "I thought you wanted…to appear human. I can help you with that."

"This is just pretend." I repeat, staring at the doors as they open.

"It is." His tiny voice says from the elevator as I step out. I press my lips into a thin line as I consider his plan, and sigh when I cave in a lot more easily than I thought I would.

"Fine. Go to bed. We have acting to do tomorrow."

I don't turn around to see the look of relief slide across his face.

I roll over wearily, feeling pain in my back as I struggled to get comfortable on my hard bed.

Wait.

Hard?

I sit up immediately, knowing that Capitol beds are not at all hard as metal – they're soft and comfortable, the best beds ever provided for the benefit of the tributes so they can have a somewhat good night's sleep. When my eyes adjust to the image before me, I see Enobaria before me, my stylist disappearing out the door with a sob when Enobaria says something sharp.

"Eno?"

"Cato…the time's come." She says coldly, though I know underneath that malice, there's a motherly figure who cares for me. Like said, her eyes soften and she rests her hand on my shoulder, rubbing it cautiously.

"What time? Why are we in here?" I look down at my jacket, the red shirt, and the pants I wore. It looked similar to…

Oh no.

"Wait, Eno! They never told us when! They can't just send us out here!" I shout, jumping off of the table and grabbing her shoulders. I tower over her, but she gives me a glare and I soften my grip on her, letting her bring me into a hug.

"The Capitol wanted everyone to be as unprepared as possible. The more emotional wrecks, the more drama. You don't get to say your proper goodbyes…you're stunned, so snap out of it. This is the bloodbath we're talking about. I know you can make it." She sees the light buzz above my head and shakes her head, kissing my cheek softly and gently pushing me into the glass tube.

"Wait, please! Eno…"

"Cato, do calm down." She waves as I start to rise and purses her lips as if she wishes to say something, but can't anymore, now that I'm facing the Cornucopia, surrounded by the tributes and an open field, leading towards a forest all around us.

_5_

I scan the tributes, watching as Glimmer focuses her gaze on the Cornucopia, rather than Marvel.

_4_

Marvel does the same, staring at the spear leaning against the wall.

_3_

Clove fidgets next to me, drooling when she sees the knives hanging there for her to take.

_2_

I see Katniss and Peeta stare at each other, and Peeta say something.

Why isn't he looking at me?

His blue eyes slide away from her and rest on me.

_1_

I launch myself towards the Cornucopia, growling when a tribute from 6 dare get in my way.

She's bleeding on the ground in minutes.

Clove races towards the knives and then screams for the Firegirl, who's running like hell towards the forest. Clove runs after her, and just as I'm about to shout at her to stop, I grab a knife and hurl it at a boy racing towards me with an axe. I roll my eyes, but then spot a movement from the corner of my vision. Peeta's running too, and I know I can get my weapons later when he runs towards me, his eyes wide with fear and I can tell he's still shocked from waking up like that.

"Peeta!" The idiot doesn't see one of the larger tributes behind him, menacing with Marvel's spear in his hand. I grab Peeta's collar as he moves and he gasps as the fabric yanks back on his throat, dropping him to the ground when the tribute throws his spear and misses, letting Marvel catch it instead.

"Marvel," I mutter, pointing towards the tribute who dared to chase after Peeta. "Do your job." I crouch down next to Peeta and put my "act" into place, knowing that as the blood and chaos went on around us, our exchange just might go unnoticed.

"Mellark," I hiss.

"Y-Yes?" He asks, with a frightened skip to his voice. I frown – what happened to that defiant boy who loved to mess with me?

"Calm the fuck down." I grab his hand and haul him up, pressing a sword into his hand as I wield mine with a curved edge, approaching a girl with malice on my face when she doesn't see me. Just as I'm about to bring the sword down on her neck, Peeta screams and I turn, which alerts the girl and makes her dart away.

"Peeta?" I watch as the knife goes towards him in slow motion and shove him down, reacting on instinct as Peeta's frozen with fear.

It's quiet as I stare at Clove, the rest of our victims scattered around us, while Marvel and Glimmer taunt a boy in the distance.

"Why did you do that, Clove?"

"We don't need this dead weight to lug around." She murmurs, staring at Peeta.

"I thought you were my friend…" Peeta whispers as he stands, his eyes dropping as he suddenly curled towards me, gripping my hand tightly and burying himself into my side. I raise my eyebrows to look at him, when I glance at the knife stuck in the wall, and then back at Clove, measuring the distance with a look of amusement on my face that quickly turned to annoyance. I knew Clove never missed. Had Peeta been standing there and had I not pushed him out of the way, the knife would've never hit him. She was supposedly aiming for his head, but looking at where the knife landed, it was two feet higher than his actual height.

She had made him scared.

So that he would turn towards me for help.

"Clove, you _bitch_."

"You know me too well, Cato potato." She says with an all-knowing look, leaving Peeta confused and huddled against my body.

"Peeta…it's okay. She was just messing with you."

"How do you know that?" He snaps into my chest, burying himself further into him.

"Oh, look. How cute!" Glimmer cries from a distance, clapping her hands. I glare at her as she skips over, interrupting my next words. Peeta doesn't lift his head, but I feel him smile against my chest, and feel the vibration of his chuckle against me. "I thought you loved Katniss, Peeta. Guess I was wrong. Now I know why Cato never liked me. 'Cause you like _boys_." She giggled and leaned into Marvel, who gave me a look with a smirk.

I coughed, my arm wrapping around Peeta's waist protectively as I watched Glimmer's hands itch towards her bow and arrow. No matter what, everyone was the enemy here – even if the Careers bonded together initially.

"Yeah. That's the only reason why, Glim." I grumble. "Set up camp! We'll be here for a while."


End file.
